Women who binge drink in the first three months of pregnancy have an increased risk of having infants with cleft lip and cleft palate, according to findings in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"Some evidence exists that women who drink alcohol during pregnancy are more likely than nondrinkers to have infants with facial clefts," Dr. Lisa A. DeRoo and colleagues write, "but summarizing previous findings is hampered by different categories of drinks and time points of reference across studies."

DeRoo, with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues investigated this topic in a study involving infants with oral clefts born between 1996 and 2001 in Norway. A total of 377 infants with cleft lip with or without cleft palate, 196 with cleft palate only, and 763 unaffected subjects were included in the study.

Mothers completed questionnaires within a few months after delivery regarding alcohol use during the first trimester.

Compared with non-drinkers, women who drank at least five drinks per occasion had more than a two-fold risk of having an infant with cleft lip or palate. For women who drank this amount on three or more occasions, the risk of a cleft defect tripled.

The researchers conclude: "These data on possible further (harmful birth) effects of alcohol reinforce the public health message that women should not drink alcohol during pregnancy."

《美國流行病學期刊》日前公布的一項研究發現，在剛懷孕三個月內酗酒的女性生出“兔唇兒”的風險較大。

麗莎•A•德魯博士及其同事在研究報告中寫道：“已有證據表明，懷孕期間喝酒的女性比不喝酒的女性生出兔唇兒的幾率更高。但之前的研究所涉及的酒類不同，關鍵的時間點也不統一。”

位于北卡羅萊納州達拉莫的“全國環境健康科研所”的德魯博士及其同事針對該問題對挪威1996年至2001年間出生的唇腭裂兒進行了一項調研。研究對象共包括377個唇裂或唇腭裂嬰兒、196個單純腭裂嬰兒以及763個健全嬰兒。

這些孩子的媽媽們在產后幾個月內完成了有關“懷孕最初三個月是否有過飲酒經歷”的調查問卷。

調查表明，懷孕期間一次喝酒至少五杯的媽媽生下兔唇兒的風險是沒喝過酒媽媽的兩倍多；而有過三次或三次以上這種經歷的人生出兔唇兒的風險則為沒喝過酒的三倍多。

研究人員得出結論：“這些有關酒精導致新生兒缺陷的數據強化了這樣一條公共健康信息：孕婦不宜喝酒。”