Down+Syndrome

Down Syndrome Stormie Warbington

Down’s syndrome is defined as a congenital abnormality characterized by moderate to serve metal retardation and a distinctive physical appearance caused by a chromosomal aberration, the result of either an error during embryonic chromosomal material. This means that that when a baby is conceived it is given an extra chromosome.

The main cause of DS is the incorrect transfer of genetic material in the formation of cell. Chromosomes are thread-like and composed of DNA and protein. They are in every cell and contain genetic information. Children get 46 chromosomes (23 from the mother and 23 from the father). With DS the child gets one extra to make it 47 chromosomes which cause mental retardation.

The earliest detection is when a woman is pregnant a first-trimester screening test can be reliably identify fetus likely to be born with DS. There is no treatment to DS. There are treatment facilities for treatment of the health problems caused by DS. But as of right now there is no treatment.

Down syndrome was discovered in 1866, by John Langdon Down, when he wrote an essay about children with similar features of children with mental retardation. He made his first distinction between children who were cretins and what he referred to as Mongoloids. In the 1960’s Asian researchers took Mongoloids and an ethnic insult and dropped the word. They then called the disease Down’s Syndrome. In the 1970’s it was simplified to Down Syndrome.

The chances of a woman having a baby with DS grow as a woman gets older. At age 30 there is a 1 in 1,000 chance that the baby will have DS. At age 35 the probability grows to a 1 in 400. At age 42 that chance gets even greater with a 1 in 60.

Down’s syndrome is a collection of abnormalities that develop during a baby’s time in the womb and result from an inherited irregularity of the chromosomes. Down syndrome occurs about once in every 800 births. It is estimated that about 6,000 children are born with Down’s syndrome each year in the United States. Down’s syndrome was first described in ht 1800s by John Langdon Down. People with Down’s syndrome have three copies of chromosome 21, instead of the usual two. The chromosomes are normal but the presence of the extra chromosome results in a number of physical characteristics. Some characteristics are seen easily like facial features, slanting of the eyelids, small mouth, flat facial profile, small feet and hands, reduced muscle tone, learning disabilities, and below average weight and length at birth. Approximately 40% of babies are born with Down’s syndrome will have a heart problem. Children with Down’s syndrome are at greater risk of eye disorders than children who do not have the syndrome, sometimes requiring an eye operation at a very young age. Of live-born Down’s syndrome individuals, 44% will survive to the age of 60 years and 13% to 68 years compared with 86% and 78% for the general population. Between the years 1990 and 2010 the number of people with Down’s syndrome over the age of 40 years is expected to increase by 75%. The chance of having a baby with Down’s syndrome increases as a woman gets older from about 1 in 1,250 for a woman who gets pregnant at age 25, about 1 in 100 for a woman who gets pregnant at age 40. There is no treatment available to cure Down’s syndrome. Treatment is directed at addressing the individual concerns of a particular patient. Heart defects will many times require surgical repair. Many Down’s syndrome patients will need to wear glasses to fix their vision. Prevention of Down syndrome is aimed at genetic counseling of couples who are preparing to have babies. A counselor needs to inform a woman that her risk of having a baby with Down syndrome increases with her increasing age. Two types of testing are available during a pregnancy to determine if the baby has Down syndrome.
 * __Down’s Syndrome__**
 * Sarah Davis**