A woman who drinks alcohol during pregnancy increases the chances of her newborn acquiring an infection soon after birth. Despite the well-publicised risk of drinking during pregnancy, there continues to be a significant number of women who drink during pregnancy. It remains unknown, how even a small amount of alcohol exposure can affect the newborn infant in terms of infection, particularly before or early in the pregnancy, prior to its recognition. Researchers from the Emory University, Atlanta, examined the effects of alcohol use by mothers on the development of infection in their babies, using data from a study that included information on 11,656 infants delivered between 32 and 42 weeks gestation. Increasing amounts of maternal alcohol consumption at any point during pregnancy - or indeed during the three months before pregnancy -- significantly increased the risk of neonatal infection. Heavy drinking (at least seven drinks per week) during the second trimester increased the risk of infection in the newborn nearly seven-fold compared with abstaining from alcohol. Binge drinking during the second or third trimester more than quadrupled the risk of infection. The above study provides the first large clinical analysis suggesting a link between neonatal infections in the nursery with excessive maternal alcohol use during pregnancy. The researchers advised that all women of child bearing age, including teenagers, must be counseled by health workers, educators, and family that drinking any amount of alcohol before or during the chance they may become pregnant is dangerous not only for themselves but for their developing baby.
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,
June 2005