Influence of alcohol on prenatal development of the foetus

Abstract

Th e aim of the research. To review the main factors of the adverse eff ects of alcohol on the body of the mother and the fetus. Th e review was compiled using the following databases: Scopus, MedLine, the Cochrane Library, Cyberleninka, RSCI, etc. Material and methods. The analysis of Russian and foreign scientifi c literature used the following keywords: “fetal alcoholic syndrome”, “fetal alcohol spectrum disorder”, “partial alcoholic fetal syndrome”, “alcohol-related disorder”, “neururoperative disorder associated with the prenatal effects of alcohol”, “congenital developmental defects associated with alcohol”. Th e material was compiled from the references of review articles and the selection was carried out based on the scientific value with formation of the fi nal list of literature according to the relevance of the analysed material. Results. The review presents the results of studies confi rming the adverse eff ects of alcohol on the mother’s and foetus’s organism, indicating the need to continue research to develop diagnostic criteria necessary for the diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome. The negative effect of alcohol intake on the fetus during intrauterine development manifesting in future neurological and behavioural disorders, mental and physical development delay, congenital defects and the stigma of facial skull dysembryogenesis has been proved. Conclusion. Numerous studies on the effect of alcohol on the mother’s and foetus’s body indicate a negative impact on the latter exerted by alcohol intake in the period of intrauterine development. All this confirms the need to improve the quality of medical care for pregnant women, the need to carry out sanitary and educational events for general practitioners, obstetricians-gynaecologists and medical staff in medical prevention and/or health facilities, as well as in families and the society as a whole.