Before Looking: Which Drug is Worst For the Fetus?

EIGHTH IN A SERIES by BRUCE RITCHIE

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence of FASD.

I apologize for the inability to line these up perfectly but it's pretty easy to see where the most prevalent birth defects lie.

Effect                                                  Alcohol             Marijuana             Cocaine             Heroin              Tobacco

Low Birth Weight                                   X                                                       X                       X                        X

Impaired Growth                                    X

Facial Malformation                              X

Small Head Size                                      X

Intellectual
and Developmental                                  X                          X
Delays

Hyperactivity Inattention                         X                          X                                                     X                       X

Sleeping Problems                                   X                          X                         X                         X                       X


Poor Feeding                                           X                                                      X

Excessive Crying                                      X                           X                        X                          X

Higher Risk for
Sudden Infant Death                                X                                                                                   X                        X
Syndrome

Organ Damage                                         X

Birth Defects                                             X

 
Respiratory - Problems                            X                                                                                 X                         X

Alcohol destroys cells in the fetus, causing malformations. (These physical changes contribute to learning and behavioral differences that continue into adolescence and adulthood - ed.) Some effects of cocaine tend to diminish over time, and long-term damage may not be as severe as was originally predicted. Test Scores of children exposed to heroin show their physical and psychological development are usually within normal range.

Sources: US Department of Health and Human Services, 1994: Day et al., 1994