For Immediate Release
Below is a highlight of study appearing on the April PEDIATRICS electronic pages, the Internet extension of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). To receive the full text of this study and interview contact information, please contact the AAP Division of Public Relations and ask for CE11-97. The complete study also is available on PEDIATRICS electronic pages at http://www.pediatrics.org.
ALCOHOL DURING PREGNANCY ASSOCIATED WITH RARE KIDNEY DEFECTS
CHICAGO--Women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol during their first trimester of pregnancy may increase their risk of giving birth to an infant with rare kidney defects, according to a recent study published on Pediatrics electronic pages, the electronic journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied data collected in the Atlanta Birth Defects Case-Control Study to determine the association between light to moderate alcohol consumption during the first trimester and selected birth defects of the kidney. The information from the study was divided into three groups for infants born from 1968 through 1980: a case group consisting of 148 infants with kidney defects and two control groups consisting respectively of 2,886 infants with no birth defects and 4,408 infants with birth defects excluding the urinary system. The studys authors discovered no differences in risk of the selected kidney defects between the groups for mothers who drank less than three drinks per week. Among mothers who drank three to 13 drinks per week, the studys authors did discover a 2.5-fold greater risk for one type of kidney defect: renal hypoplasia (a small, incompletely formed kidney) or renal agenesis (an absent kidney). The researchers conclude that mothers who drink three to 13 drinks per week during their first trimester may be at higher risk of giving birth to a child with an absent or incompletely formed kidney.
-30-
EDITORS NOTE: This study appeared on the peer-reviewed, scientific electronic pages of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 53,000 pediatricians dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
RSS