Fetal alcohol syndrome--United States, 1979-1992.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is characterized by a variety of physical and behavioral traits that result from maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Features of FAS include prenatal or postnatal growth deficiency, abnormal facial features, and central nervous system deficits. CDC's Birth Defects Monitoring Program (BDMP)--a national program to monitor congenital malformations--has collected data on the incidence of FAS among newborn infants since 1979. This report presents a rate for FAS in the United States using BDMP data from 1979 through 1992.