Clinical profile and prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome in an isolated community in British Columbia

Abstract

The authors were invited by the band council to carry out a study to determine the prevalence of alcohol embryopathy among children in a native Indian community in British Columbia. The mothers of the 123 children aged 18 years or less who lived in the community were interviewed. In addition, educational screening was carried out for children in grades 1 through 12, and 116 of the children underwent medical examination. A diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol effects (FAS/FAE) was made in 22 children aged 3 to 18 years. Each of these children was matched for age and sex with an unaffected child in the same community, and both groups underwent psychoeducational testing. The children with FAS/FAE showed a generalized depressed level of functioning compared with the unaffected children. The finding that two thirds of the children with FAS/FAE were mentally retarded points to a major health and education problem.