Fetal alcohol syndrome. A great paediatric imitator.

Twenty children affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol are described. Their mothers either suffered from chronic alcoholism, or were binge or heavy drinkers while pregnant. Only in nine mothers (45%) was alcohol abuse recognized and associated with their babies' anomalies in the first months after birth; in some, the diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome was delayed for many years. Alcohol abuse in pregnancy is probably a significant cause of birth and developmental defects in Australian children.