Down's Syndrome

WHAT IS DOWN'S SYNDROME?

A person with Down's Syndrome is born with an extra chromosome in each cell in his/her body (i.e. 47 chromosomes instead of the more usual 46). The word 'Syndrome' describes a collection of features or characteristics that tend to be evident in people with the condition (some of these are described below).

IS DOWN'S SYNDROME INHERITED?

Not usually. Most people who have a baby with Down's Syndrome do not have Down's Syndrome themselves. At some point when the egg or sperm was made, or perhaps at fertilisation, an unusual cell division took place which resulted in an extra copy of chromosome number 21 in all the baby's cells. There is no known reason why this happens. It happens by chance and can happen to anyone, but the chances of it happening increase as the woman gets older.

However, a few people are born with Down's Syndrome because they have inherited a chromosome abnormality, called a translation, from one of their parents. A baby born to a mother with Down's Syndrome would also have a high chance of having Down's Syndrome, particularly if the baby's father had Down's Syndrome too.

A PERSON WITH DOWN’S SYNDROME MAY BE AFFECTED IN SOME, OR ALL, OF THE FOLLOWING WAYS:

• There are more differences between people with Down's Syndrome than there are similarities. This is because everyone with Down's Syndrome also inherits some of their own family's distinctive characteristics.
• People with Down's Syndrome all have some degree of learning disability. This usually means that they take longer to learn new skills than most, but many children with Down's Syndrome learn to walk, talk, read and write, go to ordinary school and look forward to a semi-independent adult life. A few people with Down's Syndrome have more severe learning difficulties
• Some of the physical features which you might see in a person with Down's Syndrome can include eyes which appear to slant slightly upwards and outwards, a rather flat face, and perhaps rather short fingers and small stature. It is fairly common for people with Down's Syndrome to be born with a heart defect and sight problems. Difficulties with hearing can also occur and will probably vary throughout a person's life.

OTHER INFORMATION

Downs Syndrome is named after the doctor (John Langdon Down) who first described the condition in1866. On average, three babies are born with Downs Syndrome each day in the UK (that's about one baby with Down's Syndrome for every 1000 babies born in the UK).

Many people with Down's Syndrome enjoy a healthy life and can live to between 50 and 70 years old.

The chances of having a baby with Down's Syndrome are 1 in 1,400 if the mother is 25 years old, rising to 1 in 110 if the mother is 40 years old, and to 1 in 30 if she is 45 years old. But the majority of babies with Down's Syndrome are born to younger women because the overall birth rate is higher in this group.

It is possible for any woman, whether or not she has Downs' Syndrome, to have a test when she is pregnant which will tell her if her unborn baby has the condition. One such test is called amniocentesis.

If you are interested in finding out more about Down's Syndrome, you can write (enclosing an A5 stamped addressed envelope)tc: Down’s Syndrome Association Langdon Down Centre 2a Langdon Park, Teddington, TW11 9PS Tel: 0845 230 0372

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