Diseases

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

An umbrella term used to describe a pattern of disabilities and abnormalities that result from fetal exposure to ETHANOL during pregnancy. It encompasses a phenotypic range that can vary greatly between individuals, but reliably includes one or more of the following: characteristic facial dysmorphism, FETAL GROWTH RETARDATION, central nervous system abnormalities, cognitive and/or behavioral dysfunction, BIRTH DEFECTS. The level of maternal alcohol consumption does not necessarily correlate directly with disease severity.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

An umbrella term used to describe a pattern of disabilities and abnormalities that result from fetal exposure to ETHANOL during pregnancy. It encompasses a phenotypic range that can vary greatly between individuals, but reliably includes one or more of the following: characteristic facial dysmorphism, FETAL GROWTH RETARDATION, central nervous system abnormalities, cognitive and/or behavioral dysfunction, BIRTH DEFECTS. The level of maternal alcohol consumption does not necessarily correlate directly with disease severity.

MeSH Record

Classification

Broader headings

Related Concepts

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MeSH Record

See Also

MeSH Record

Synonyms

13 entry terms
  • FASD
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
  • FASDs
  • Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder
  • Alcohol-Related Birth Defects
  • FAE (Fetal Alcohol Effects)
  • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
  • Growth Retardation, Facial Abnormalities, and Central Nervous System Dysfunction
  • Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
  • Alcohol Related Birth Defects
  • Birth Defects, Alcohol-Related
  • FAEs (Fetal Alcohol Effects)
  • Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol

MeSH Record

Aspects Covered

31 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings blood, cerebrospinal fluid, classification, diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, diet therapy, drug therapy, economics, enzymology, epidemiology, ethnology, etiology, genetics, history, immunology, metabolism, microbiology, mortality, nursing, parasitology, pathology, physiopathology, prevention & control, psychology, radiotherapy, rehabilitation, surgery, therapy, urine, veterinary, virology.

MeSH Record

History Note

2014

MeSH Record

Previous Indexing

  • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (1979-2013)

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Numbers

  1. C12.050.703w.277.220w
  2. C16w.300.070w
  3. C25.775w.100.087w.323w

MeSH Record

NLM Classification

WQ 211

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D063647. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D063647
  2. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetal_alcohol_spectrum_disorder
  3. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17002116