Down Syndrome
A project by Kainan Cooper
Down Syndrome Disease
Down Syndrome is a disease that affects people mentally and physically. Babies are born with this disease and will have it for life. There is a 1 in 1000 chance that someone will give birth to a child with Down Syndrome.
Characteristics
The symptoms of Down Syndrome include physical issues and mental issues. People with Down Syndrome tend to have learning difficulties, such as learning to read. Other symptoms include poor muscle tone and a characteristic facial appearance. People with Down Syndrome can have normal lives, go to normal schools, make friends, and even get a job when they are older. The life expectancy of someone with Down Syndrome has risen from 25 in 1983 to 60 years old today.
CAUSE OF DOWN SYNDROME
The issue that causes Down Syndrome is an extra copy of chromosome 21. The name of the gene is called Trisomy 21. It isn't a mutation really, it is just having an extra pair of the chromosome 21 that causes the disease.
TREATMENT
There really isn't an official cure for Down Syndrome that has came out yet, but there are a couple of ways to silence the extra chromosome. Scientists tried to silence the extra pair of chromosome 21 by taking skin cells from someone and using them to create new brain cells to try and silence the extra chromosome. Scientists at John Hopkins Medical School found a way to cure baby mice that had down syndrome with a molecule called SAG, which gives hope to people with Down syndrome all across the globe.
Interesting Facts!
- Down syndrome happens before conception, so you can't get it if you aren't born with it.
- Down syndrome is "Trisomy" which means there are three copies of a chromosome instead of two.
- There are three types of Down syndrome, but nondisjunction is the most common form of Down syndrome.
- Down syndrome occurs in 1 in 800 live births.
- The reason for the name Down Syndrome comes from Dr. John Langdon Down and we get it from his last name.
Bibliography
Genome.gov
Kidshealth.org
Ness.org
Ghb.nlm.nih.gov