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Steph Braddock will serve
as director of the state’s
first Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Center. Photo courtesy of
MU Health Care
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MU
Houses State’s First
Fetal Alcohol Clinic
The clinic offers diagnosis, treatment
and prevention of leading cause of mental retardation.
By Cheri Ghan
Each year, 150 babies
are born in Missouri with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the nation’s
leading cause of mental retardation. Medical costs for FAS patients
exceed $5.4 billion a year nationally. University of Missouri-Columbia
researchers hope to change those statistics with the state’s
first FAS clinic to diagnose, treat and prevent what one doctor
calls a “completely preventable
public health issue.”
Stephen Braddock, MU associate professor
of child
health and genetics, will serve as director of the Missouri
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Center – Columbia. The Center
for Disease Control and Prevention is providing funding.
A team of specialists, including a speech pathologist, neuropsychologist
and genetic counselor, will assist with screenings and evaluations
of Missouri children who come for treatment.
“We intend to make diagnoses
at the clinic through proper referrals, screenings and testings
to pinpoint the patient’s strengths and weaknesses and ensure
the child has the proper intervention plan,” Braddock said.
“We also want to make sure the mothers are in treatment.
We can’t undo what has happened, but with appropriate intervention,
we can provide treatment and, we hope, prevent it from happening
again in the future.”
Braddock said the ideal time to diagnose
FAS is between the ages of 8 months and 8 years. Children with
FAS may not be initially diagnosed by health care providers, although
many of the neurobehavioral problems exhibited, such as poor communication
or memory, may lead to secondary disabilities and behavior problems
at school. He said these children will benefit from screening,
even if they are older than 8 years old.
Since first diagnosed as a disease in 1973,
the number of FAS cases and the costs involved have reached staggering
levels. Braddock said the $5.4 billion spent on medical care for
FAS patients does not include extra costs incurred in education,
lost wages or social services.
“It is an incredibly common condition,”
Braddock said. “One in every 500 babies born has FAS. That
is more than the number with Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome
or spina bifida, yet it is less often diagnosed than any of those.
However, this does not have to be a death sentence. There is hope
through intervention.”
Braddock says the CDC funding will provide
for another FAS clinic in Springfield next year and a third in
Cape Girardeau in two years. The ultimate goal is to increase
rural awareness of FAS with the identification, diagnosis and
intervention provided by the clinics.
“This is a true public health
issue that is entirely preventable,” Braddock said. “There
is no need for anyone to drink during pregnancy.”
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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