Everything To Know About: Down Syndrome

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Everything To Know About Down Syndrome

• By Arielle Belfer

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Down Syndrome

• Sometimes called Trisomy 21
• Named after an J. Langdon Down, who was the first
  to describe what Down Syndrome was in 1866

http//caslater.freeservers.com/images/jdown.jpg
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Mode of Inheritance

• Down Syndrome is the most commonly occurring
  chromosomal disorder
• Chromosome 21
• Approximately one in every 800 babies have Down
  Syndrome

http//www.nads.org/docs/tunnelEnglish.pdf
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Symptoms

• Different facial features than normal people,
  including
• Flat face
• Small broad nose
• Abnormally shaped ears
• Large tongue
• Upward slanting eyes with small folds of skin in
  the corners
• Tend to have poor muscle tone, short, broad
  hands, and broad feet with short toes

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Detection

• Screening and diagnostic tests can be done to
  check for Down syndrome during a woman's
  pregnancy
• Doctors can usually recognize it after the baby
  is born by the babys facial features

http//www.dsala.org/graphics/photos/baby_angels-4
.jpg
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Diagnostic Testing

• The diagnosis is confirmed with a karyotype - an
  examination of the baby's chromosomes

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Prognosis

• People with Down Syndrome usually live to about
  55 years or older in the US
• Physical therapy and speech therapy can help
  people with Down Syndrome to become more
  assimilated

http//www.faqs.org/health/images/uchr_07_img0706.
jpg
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No Cure

• There is no cure available for Down Syndrome, but
  the environments that people with Down Syndrome
  are in can affect the way that they deal with
  their disease in either a positive or negative
  way

Know that your child will walk, will talk, will
learn, and will grow to be, and important part of
our community. I cant stress that
enough. -Melinda Fullerton, CA
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Current Research

• Children with Down Syndrome might benefit from
  medical treatment that includes piracetam, an
  amino acid supplement
• Doctors and scientists are working very hard to
  find out more information about Down Syndrome in
  order to answer questions and try to find a cure
  to this disease

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Genetic Counseling

• The chance of their child/children being
  diagnosed with Down Syndrome is very high

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Graphics
http//www.nads.org/galleries/fashion_2006/pages/1
43_143.htm
http//www.nads.org/docs/tunnelEnglish.pdf
http//www.nads.org/galleries/holidat_2006/pages/b
rogan1.htm
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Additional Interesting Facts

• The first World Down Syndrome Day was held on
  March 21, 2006
• Most people with Down syndrome have IQ's that are
  in the mild--moderate range of retardation
• About 4,000 children are born with Down syndrome
  each year in the United States

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Credits

• http//learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/disorders/wha
  taregd/down/index.cfm
• http//www.nads.org/pages_new/facts.html
• http//www.ndss.org/index.php?optioncom_contentt
  askviewid1812Itemid95