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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
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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

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