In conclusion, the preliminary results of this study, which highlights a 45% ethanol consumption during pregnancy in a low socioeconomic status cohort from a Mediterranean city, may serve as an eye opener for Europeans that gestational ethanol exposure is endemic not only in areas outside of Europe.Of critical importance, alcohol consumption by pregnant women in Mediterranean countries may be different from that of North European regions: daily consumption of mainly wine and beer during principal meals is a common pattern. In agreement with this, approximately 50% of Spanish women declared daily ethanol consumption in the most recent Spanish National Survey on Drug abuse.13 In this context, early postnatal diagnosis of fetal exposure to maternal alcohol by meconium analysis of FAEEs should be advocated for all newborns because age at diagnosis is a prognostic factor for FASD, and evidence of maternal drinking is a critical
prerequisite.
prerequisite.
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