Dresden. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. It is the most common congenital disability. Experts estimate that around 14,000 children are born in Germany every year with alcohol damage, and in Saxony alone there are around 700. Over the entire lifespan, around 80,000 people in the Free State live with FASD. “A hidden widespread disease,” says Dr. Melanie Ahaus, spokesperson for the State Association of Pediatricians and Adolescent Doctors with a practice in Leipzig. “Many people are not aware of the risks of consumption during pregnancy, even of the smallest amounts,” says Dr. Heike Hoff-Emden from the “Social Pediatric Center Leipzig Early Help.”
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On the occasion of the Day of the Alcohol-Damaged Child on September 9, Hoff-Emden is calling for an improved early detection system in practices: “For those affected and their families, it is vital that FASD is detected as early as possible and that an overall concept for this lifelong disability is developed with all professionals involved in therapy facilities, authorities, daycare centers and schools.”
Often problems in everyday life
FASD can affect the body, mind and psyche. Patients are often smaller than average and have facial abnormalities, but above all, brain development suffers. Even in childhood, they are often impulsive and have learning and regulation problems. Later, due to their intellectual disability, those affected have difficulty managing everyday life independently, learning a profession or maintaining a daily structure. Dealing with money and appointments also causes problems. The specific brain damage also means that they are often involved in criminal acts – as victims and perpetrators, according to the State Association of Pediatricians and Adolescent Doctors.
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The earlier FASD is recognized, the sooner a stable, informed and supportive environment can be created. But the diagnosis is complex, many patients remain undiagnosed, and neurological disorders in particular often go unnoticed in early childhood. Those affected sometimes have to go through a years-long odyssey through doctors’ offices before they finally receive a diagnosis, says Melanie Ahaus.
It is a hidden widespread disease.
Dr. Melanie Ahaus
Spokesperson for the State Association of Pediatricians and Adolescent Doctors
Late diagnosis and lack of support are not only tragic for those affected, but also result in high subsequent costs for social and medical treatment for society.
LVZ
