Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T20:14:58.068Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Influence of chronic intrauterine exposure to alcohol on structurally normal hearts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2007

Thomas Krasemann  and
Sandra Klingebiel
Thomas Krasemann
Affiliation:
Deptartment of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children's Hospital Muenster, Muenster, Germany Evelina Children's Hospital, St. Thomas Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Sandra Klingebiel
Affiliation:
Deptartment of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children's Hospital Muenster, Muenster, Germany
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Abuse of alcohol during pregnancy is known to cause alcoholic embryopathy and congenital cardiac disease. We sought to establish if there were any cardiac abnormalities to be found in patients known to have alcoholic embryopathy, but with structurally normal hearts. We reviewed the electrocardiograms and echocardiographic data of 347 such patients without congenital cardiac disease. A shortened QT interval was found in half of the cases. The left ventricular diameter was small in one quarter of all patients, independent from age, gender, and the degree of alcoholic embryopathy. We conclude that intrauterine exposure to alcohol as a primary toxin can lead to minor cardiac abnormalities, even in the absence of structural congenital cardiac disease.

Keywords

Embryocardiac developmentechocardiographyQT interval
Type
Original Article
Information
Cardiology in the Young , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , April 2007 , pp. 185 - 188
Copyright
© 2007 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Loser H, Pfefferkorn JR, Themann H. Alkohol in der Schwangerschaft und kindliche Herzschaeden. Klin Padiatr 1992; 204: 335–339.Google Scholar
Nicolas JM, Fernandez-Sola J, Estruch R, et al. The effect of controlled drinking in alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Ann Intern Med 2002; 136: 192–200.Google Scholar
Day CP, James OFW, Butler TJ, Campbell RWF. QT prolongation and sudden cardiac death in patients with alcoholic liver disease. Lancet 1993; 341: 1423–1428.Google Scholar
Majewski F. Untersuchungen zur Alkoholembryopathie. Fortschr Med 1978; 96: 2207–2213.Google Scholar
Abel EL. Prenatal effects of alcohol. Drug Alcohol Depend 1984; 14: 1–10.Google Scholar
Rijnbeek PR, Witsenburg M, Schrama E, Hess J, Kors JA. New normal limits for the pediatric electrocardiogram. Eur Heart J 2001; 22: 702–711.Google Scholar
Henry WL, Ware J, Gardin JM, Hepner SI, McKay J, Weiner M. Echocardiographic measurements in normal subjects: growth related changes that occur between infancy and childhood. Circulation 1978; 57: 278–285.Google Scholar
Ren J, Wold LE, Natavio M, Ren BH, Hannigan JH, Brown RA. Influence of prenatal alcohol exposure on myocardial contractile function in adult rat hearts: role of intracellular calcium and apoptosis. Alcohol Alcohol 2002; 37: 30–37.Google Scholar
Fuseler JW. Maternal ethanol consumption induces transient compensatory hyperplasia of developing cardiac tissue in the neonatal rat. Alcohol Alcohol 1993; 28: 657–666.Google Scholar
Syslak PH, Nathaniel EJ, Novak C, Burton L. Fetal alcohol effects on the postnatal development of the rat myocardium: an ultrastructural and morphometric analysis. Exp Mol Pathol 1994: 60: 158–172.Google Scholar
Cavieres MF, Smith SM. Genetic and developmental modulation of cardiac deficits in prebatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2000; 24: 102–109.Google Scholar
Krasemann T. QT-prolongation in the newborn and maternal alcoholism. Cardiol Young 2004; 14: 565–566.Google Scholar