Down syndrome
Lea Hodgson
Definition
Down syndrome is a genetic disorder due to abnormal cell division results in extra genetic material from chromosome 21. In the U.S 1 in 700 babies are born with Down syndrome each year. The National Down Syndrome Society discovered more than 400,000 people have Down syndrome in the U.S.
Signs & Symtoms
- Flattened facial features
- Small head
- Short neck
- Protruding tongue
- Upward slanting eyes
- Unusually shaped or small ears
- Short hands with single crease in the palm
- Poor muscle tone
- Short height
- Brushfield spots
Brushfield spots
Small white spots on the iris of the eye.
Flattened facial appearance
Short neck
Treatment
There is no way to treat this disorder, but there are specialist you or your child could go that would help.
- Occupational therapist
- Audiologist
- Speech therapist
- Pediatric eye doctor
- Pediatric neurologist
- Pediatric cardiologist
- Pediatric ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist
- Development pediatrician
- Pediatric gastroenterologist
Prognosis
Down syndrome patients have many complications that could become prominent the older they get.
Some of those complications may include:
- Obesity
- Dementia
- Heart defects
- Leukemia
- Sleep apnea
Personal statement
The reason I picked Down syndrome is so i could learn about a disorder I didn't know much about. I wanted to know all the symptoms and how this disorder could affect my community. I also wanted to know how to keep a child with Down syndrome safe and healthy. I am now aware of all the specialist you should go to and all the symptoms.
Citations
Down syndrome ." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 19 Apr. 2014. Web. 9 Dec. 2015. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/down-syndrome/basics/definition/con-20020948>
"Down syndrome." March of dimes. March of dimes , July 2009. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. <http://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/down-syndrome.aspx>