Article: Face not only sign of fetal syndrome Doctors relying on deformities may miss kids harmed by alcohol

Doctors may miss diagnosing fetal alcohol syndrome in children if they depend exclusively on facial deformities commonly associated with the disease, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin- Madison warns.

Susan Smith, a nutritional scientist, said her study of chicken embryos found that high levels of alcohol equivalent to twice the level considered evidence of intoxication in humans were needed to cause facial deformities in chickens similar to those seen in humans.

"The central point we're trying to make here is the face may be fine, but that says nothing about neural development and body growth," Smith said. "If a physician is going to rely on the face to find these kids, you're ...

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