Effects Of Alcohol And Drug Abuse Body Systems, Risks, And Prevention Practice Test

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are a group of conditions that result from alcohol exposure during pregnancy. They include a range of effects such as growth deficiencies, facial features abnormalities, and neurodevelopmental problems, reflecting the way alcohol disrupts fetal growth and brain development. The cause is maternal alcohol use while pregnant; alcohol crosses the placenta and can interfere with cell growth and brain formation, and there is no known safe amount or timing of drinking during pregnancy. This option is the best because it accurately describes both the spectrum of outcomes and the prenatal cause, emphasizing that even small amounts can be harmful and that effects can range in severity. The other statements don’t fit: genetic mutations present at birth aren’t the cause; maternal smoking isn’t responsible for FASD; exposure after birth (secondhand exposure) is not how FASD develops.