Figure 5.

Prenatal alcohol exposure was significantly correlated with preterm birth and postnatal short stature

A) Mean percentiles for birth length, birth weight, and height at diagnosis were significantly lower among subjects with prenatal alcohol exposure all three trimesters compared to just the first trimester (T = 2.1, P = 0.04; T = 2.3, P = 0.02; T = 2.2, P = 0.03 respectively). B) Prenatal tobacco exposure was correlated with a significant reduction in prenatal, but not postnatal growth measures (birth length T = 2.9, P = 0.004; birth weight T = 2.2, P = 0.03). Growth Rank in this study sample of 1814 patients was derived from birth measures only 2.9% of the time, thus smoking status had very little impact on the correlation detected in Fig. 4A between alcohol exposure and the 4-Digit Code Growth Rank in our population. Mean gestational age in weeks was marginally, but significantly lower among those with three trimesters of alcohol exposure (37.9 weeks, SD = 3.2) compared to those with exposure in just the first trimester (37.3 weeks, SD = 3.5) (T = 2.2, P = 0.03). Mean gestational age was comparable between smokers and nonsmokers. C). Postnatal growth (mean height and weight percentiles at the time of diagnosis) did not vary significantly with increasing Postnatal Risk Rank, as defined by the 4-Digit Code.