• A clinically distinct constellation of major and minor anomalies, termed the fetal alcohol
syndrome, occurs among infants whose mothers abuse alcohol during pregnancy. In
addition, significantly higher rates of pregnancy complications, including perinatal deaths
and fetal growth retardation, occur among these women and their offspring. We studied the
medical records of 40 infants born to 38 alcohol abusers and the frequency of characteristics
associated with fetal alcohol syndrome. Physical examinations of 6 infants revealed primary …