DOWN SYNDROME

Have you ever seen a child whose face is somewhat flat while having a short neck? Perhaps their ears are abnormally shaped, or they have small hands and feet? These are symptoms of a person with a condition called Down Syndrome. These people also have complications inside them. These consist of loose ligaments, skeletal issues, eye problems (such as cataracts) as well as hearing issues. Down Syndrome was first noted in 1866, however, the cause was not discovered until 1959. When a person has Down Syndrome, have an extra chromosome 21. There are three of the chromosome, instead of the normal two. Older woman who have children are more likely to have a child with Down Syndrome than a younger woman who is having a child. About 1 in 1,250 women over 25 years of age are at risk of having a child with Down Syndrome, whereas a woman over 40 has a risk of 1 in 100. On average, 85% of infants with the condition live longer than one year, and 50% live longer than the age of 50. Unfortunately, Down Syndrome is not a curable condition. However, the children with this condition benefit more with special education, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and special exercises. New treatments are not noted at this time. I feel awful for children with this condition. It must be extremely difficult to try to live with Down Syndrome. As a relatively normal people, humans take so much for granted, such as the shape of our face, our hearing and other elements such as those. Like they always say, nothing is real 'til it's gone.

For more information, go to:
www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Down_Syndrome.cfm
and
www.emedicinehealth.com/down_syndrome/article_em.htm