Peri-conceptual and mid-pregnancy drinking: a cross-sectional assessment in two Scottish health board areas using a 7-day Retrospective Diary

Diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs): Guidelines of Interdisciplinary Group of Polish Professionals

(1) Background: Considerable prevalence in Poland and serious health consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure indicated the need to develop national guidelines for the diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). It was assumed that the guidelines must be in line with international standards but adjusted to the Polish context. (2) Methods: Work on recommendations was carried out by an interdisciplinary team of Polish specialists. Its first stage was to assess the usefulness in our country of the U.S. and Canadian guidelines. In the second stage, after several rounds of discussions, a consensus was achieved. (3) Results: The Polish guidelines for diagnosing FASD cover the following issues: 1. distinguished diagnostic categories; 2. diagnostic procedure; 3. assessment of prenatal exposure to alcohol; 4. assessment of sentinel facial dysmorphias; 5. assessment of body weight, height, and head circumference; 6. neurodevelopmental assessment. An important element of the recommendation is appendices containing practical tools that are useful in the diagnostic procedure. (4) Conclusions: National guidelines may improve the quality and standardization of FASD diagnosis in Poland, but their practical utility has to be monitored.

A utilitarian comparison of two alcohol use biomarkers with self-reported drinking history collected in antenatal clinics

BACKGROUND

Alcohol use is reported accurately among pregnant women in some populations.

METHODS

Self-reported alcohol use via the AUDIT and 90-day recall for 193 women from antenatal clinics was compared to biomarker results: phosphatidylethanol (PEth) from bloodspots and ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in fingernails.

RESULTS

AUDIT was positive for 67.9% of respondents, and 65.3% directly reported drinking. Individual biomarkers detected less drinking (PEth = 57.0%, EtG = 38.9%) than self-report. But 64.8% had drinking-positive values (>8 ng) on one or both biomarkers, which was not significantly different from self-report. Biomarkers indicated that 3.1% -6.8% of drinkers denied drinking. Combined biomarker sensitivity was 95% -80% and specificity 49% -76% for drinking in the previous 7-90 days. Combined biomarker results have their best yield (89.6%) and accuracy (78.8%) when measuring 90 day drinking.

CONCLUSIONS

Women reported their alcohol use accurately, and the combined use of PEth and EtG is supported.

Peri-Conceptual and Mid-Pregnancy Alcohol Consumption: A Comparison between Areas of High and Low Deprivation in Scotland

BACKGROUND

Alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among women has increased over recent decades, especially in areas of higher deprivation. Pre-pregnancy alcohol use is associated with continued consumption in pregnancy. We assessed whether general population alcohol consumption patterns were reflected among pregnant women in two Scottish areas with different deprivation levels.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study in two health boards (HB1, lower deprivation levels, n = 274; HB2, higher deprivation levels, n = 236), using face-to-face 7-day Retrospective Diary estimation of peri-conceptual and mid-pregnancy alcohol consumption.

RESULTS

A greater proportion of women in HB2 (higher deprivation area) sometimes drank peri-conceptually, but women in HB1 (lower deprivation area) were more likely to drink every week (49.6 vs 29.7%; p < 0.001) and to exceed daily limits (6 units) at least once each week (32.1 vs 14.8%; p < 0.001). After pregnancy recognition, consumption levels fell sharply, but women in HB2 were more likely to drink above recommended daily limits (2 units) each week (2.5 vs 0.0%; p < 0.05). However, women in HB1 were more likely to drink frequently. Women with the highest deprivation scores in each area drank on average less than women with the lowest deprivation scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Heavy episodic and frequent consumption was more common in the lower deprivation area, in contrast with general population data. Eliciting a detailed alcohol history at the antenatal booking visit, and not simply establishing whether the woman is currently drinking, is essential. Inconsistent messages about the effects of alcohol in pregnancy may have contributed to the mixed picture we found concerning peri-conceptual and mid-pregnancy alcohol consumption.