PEth Levels in Mother and Newborn Pairs

Introduction: Fetal exposure to alcohol is a global health concern. Children born to mothers who consume alcohol during their pregnancies are at risk for developing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which has been associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disorders, mental health concerns, and increased legal issues. Self-report data for alcohol consumption during pregnancy is often unreliable, due to shame and stigma associated with this behavior. As such, biomarker data has become increasingly popular as an objective measure of prenatal alcohol exposure. The current study aims to examine the levels of alcohol exposure in mothers and newborn infants in Uruguay. Methods: Women and newborns were recruited from a military hospital in Uruguay as part of a larger study. Women and newborn blood spot cards were tested for the alcohol biomarker PEth (phosphatidylethanol) during their hospital stay. Women also completed a survey detailing their alcohol over the course of their pregnancies. Results: 113 mother and newborn pairs were included in the sample (Mean age= 27.26, Mean Pregnancies=2.07). Of the women who completed the survey, only two reported consuming alcohol in the last 30 days. Infant umbilical cord blood in the study had higher PEth levels than blood drawn from their mothers (43.49ng/mg vs 24.41ng/mg). Discussion: The current study raises some interesting questions about how infants metabolize alcohol in the womb. By all assumptions, the levels in mother and infants should be the same, yet they are repeatedly higher in infants. This raises concerns about the amount of alcohol a child is actually exposed to for each alcoholic drink a mother consumes. The current study highlights the need for objective measures of alcohol exposure in children when making a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome or spectrum disorder.