Background

High levels of prenatal alcohol exposure are known to cause an array of adverse outcomes including fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS); however, the effects of low to moderate exposure are less-well characterized. Previous findings suggest that differences in normal-range facial morphology may be a marker for alcohol exposure and related adverse effects.

Methods

In the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, we tested for an association between maternal alcohol consumption and six FAS-related facial phenotypes in their offspring, using both self-report questionnaires and the maternal genotype at rs1229984 in ADH1B as measures of maternal alcohol consumption.

Results

In both self-reported alcohol consumption (N = 4233) and rs1229984 genotype (N = 3139) analyses, we found no strong statistical evidence for an association between maternal alcohol consumption and facial phenotypes tested. The directions of effect estimates were compatible with the known effects of heavy alcohol exposure, but confidence intervals were largely centered around zero.

Conclusions

There is no strong evidence, in a sample representative of the general population, for an effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on normal-range variation in facial morphology.

中文翻译：

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英国队列的产前酒精暴露和面部形态

 背景

众所周知，产前高水平的酒精暴露会导致一系列不良后果，包括胎儿酒精综合症（FAS）；然而，低至中度暴露的影响尚不清楚。先前的研究结果表明，正常范围面部形态的差异可能是酒精暴露和相关不良反应的标志。

 方法

在雅芳父母和儿童纵向研究中，我们使用自我报告问卷和ADH1B rs1229984 的母亲基因型作为母亲饮酒量的衡量标准，测试了母亲饮酒量与其后代的六种 FAS 相关面部表型之间的关联。 。

 结果

在自我报告的饮酒量 (N = 4233) 和 rs1229984 基因型 (N = 3139) 分析中，我们没有发现强有力的统计证据表明母亲饮酒量与测试的面部表型之间存在关联。效应估计​​的方向与已知的重度酒精暴露效应一致，但置信区间主要集中在零附近。

 结论

在代表一般人群的样本中，没有强有力的证据表明产前酒精暴露对面部形态正常范围的变化有影响。