Alcohol Use by Mom-to-be Ups Baby's Infection Risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A woman who drinks alcohol during pregnancy increases the chances of her newborn acquiring an infection soon after birth, according to a new report.

"Despite the well publicized risk of drinking during pregnancy, there continues to be a significant number of women who drink during pregnancy," Dr. Theresa W. Gauthier from Emory University, Atlanta, told Reuters Health.

"It remains unknown," she explained, "how even a small amount of alcohol exposure can affect the newborn infant in terms of infection, particularly before or early in the pregnancy, prior to its recognition."

Gauthier and her associates examined the effects of alcohol use by mothers on the development of infection in their babies, using data from the Maternal Lifestyles and Development Study that included information on 11,656 infants delivered between 32 and 42 weeks gestation.

Increasing amounts of maternal alcohol consumption at any point during pregnancy -- or indeed during the three months before pregnancy -- significantly increased the risk of neonatal infection, the team reports in the medical journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Heavy drinking (at least seven drinks per week) during the second trimester increased the risk of infection in the newborn nearly seven-fold compared with abstaining from alcohol, the report indicates.

Binge drinking during the second or third trimester more than quadrupled the risk of infection.

"To our knowledge," the researchers say, "the current study provides the first large clinical analysis suggesting a link between neonatal infection in the nursery with excessive maternal alcohol use during pregnancy."

In comments to Reuters Health, Gauthier said: "All women of child bearing age, including teenagers, must be counseled by health workers, educators, and family that drinking any amount of alcohol before or during the chance they may become pregnant is dangerous not only for themselves but for their developing baby."

SOURCE: Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, June 2005.