Alcohol toxicity in the nervous system of newborns from maternal ingestion during pregnancy and breastfeeding: an integrative review

Abstract

Objective: To review the complications caused by alcohol to the central nervous system of newborns born to mothers who used alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Methods: This is an integrative review study, carried out using data found in Pubmed, Scielo, UpToDate, Cochrane Library and Medline. Following the pattern of the Health Science Descriptors (DeCS), "Breastfeeding", "Toxicity", "Alcohol-Induced Disorders", "Nervous System" and "Newborn" were used, from studies published between the years 2000 and 2021, where 16 studies were selected. As a common denominator, all selected studies addressed the harm caused by alcoholic beverage use during pregnancy and breastfeeding to the central nervous system of newborns. Results: The studies analyzed demonstrated a process of neuroinflammation caused by alcohol to the cortex of the conceptus and the newborn, which may result in structural changes and cognitive impairment. Furthermore, it was found that fetal alcohol syndrome affects a significant portion of the world's population, and the texts analyzed indicate the need to make the population aware of the issue.  Final considerations: Therefore, the effects resulting from the ingestion of alcoholic beverages by pregnant or lactating women severely and frequently affect fetuses and newborns, representing an important public health problem.