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| http://bookbing.org/downs-syndrome-powerpoint-presentations/karyotype-down-syndrome/ |
The following is a compiled list of facts I found interesting, while researching about Down Syndrome on various websites. I think the information is interesting and informative.
DID YOU KNOW?
*Down Syndrome occurs when an individuals DNA has three chromosomes instead of two copies of the 21st chromosome.
*March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day- represents 3 copies of the 21st chromosome.
*Women of any age have the possibility of having a child with Down Syndrome, however women older than 35 have a higher risk (1 in 350 chance) of having a child with Down Syndrome; 40 year old women have a 1 in 100 chance, and women over 45 have a 1 in 30 chance.
*One in every 691 babies born has Down Syndrome
*There are approximately 6,000 babies born each year in the United States
*Total population 400,000 people with Down Syndrome living in the United States
*The typical lifespan for individuals affected is 50-55 years
*Men with Down Syndrome are uniformly sterile, therefore, unable to reproduce.
*Women with Down Syndrome are fully capable of having children. In addition there is a 50% chance that a baby born to a mother with Down Syndrome will have the chromosome defect as well.
Physical Defects:
*50% of Down Syndrome children are born with a heart defect; most commonly the individual has a hole between two sides of the heart.
*Hirshprung Disease (congenital aganglionic megacolon) causes an intestinal obstruction; this disease more commonly occurs in children with Down Syndrome than in other children.
Most common features in appearance of Down Syndrome at birth include: (from the online medical dictionary)
*Slight flattening of the face
*Minimal squaring off at the top of the ears
*A low bridge of the nose
*An epicentral fold (fold of skin over the top of the inner corner of the eye)
*A narrowing of the palate
