Characteristics of children who have full or incomplete fetal alcohol syndrome.

Objective: To describe the clinical features and hospitalization rates of American Indian children with full or incomplete fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

Study Design: Two retrospective case-control studies were conducted of Northern Plains American Indian children with presumed FAS identified from 1981 to 1993 by using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM), code 760.71. Children who had full or incomplete FAS were compared with each other and with children who did not have FAS.

Results: Compared with the control children, the 43 children with FAS and the 35 children with incomplete FAS had more facial dysmorphology, growth deficiency, central nervous system dysfunction, and muscular problems and were hospitalized more frequently with otitis media, pneumonia, FAS, dehydration, and anemia. Case children were hospitalized more days than were control children. Case children were removed from their homes and placed in foster care more often than were control children.

Conclusions: Children with full or incomplete FAS had many health, learning, and social needs. Health care providers and community programs should identify the needs of these children and offer optimal services to meet those needs.