The Influence of Maternal Age on Down syndrome Children born to older parents are at greater risk for genetic abnormalities, such as Down syndrome. No one knows what causes the chromosomal abnormality that results in Down syndrome, a condition according to the National Association for Down syndrome, affects one in 800 to 1,000 babies in the United States. Any woman regardless of her culture, race and socio-economic status can have a baby with Down syndrome. However, a mother’ age seems to be a unifying factor among children with Down syndrome. Older women have a greater chance of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome, and the risks increases with every passing year. The National Association for Down syndrome estimates the chance of …show more content…
John Langdon Down, the scientist for which Down syndrome is named after (left) and Dr. Jerome Lejeune, who correctly identified Down syndrome as a chromosomal abnormality, not a condition based on one’s race (right) (Photos courtesy of The Museum of Disability).
By the 20th century, Down syndrome had not been identified as a genetic condition caused by an extra chromosome. Instead, Down syndrome was the most recognizable form of mental disabilities because of the distinctive facial features associated with the disease. Those who suffered form the condition were institutionalized and died in infancy or early adult life since their medical problems were not properly treated. Due to the rise of the eugenics movement in the United States, 33 of the 48 states approved forced sterilization of individuals with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Examples of Sterilization laws passed in Indiana (right) and California (left) who believed that those with a mental disability such as Down syndrome would harm society.
However, the first scientist to assume that Down syndrome was actually a genetic disorder was Jerome Lejeune in 1959. Through karyotype analysis he observed that the disorder was the result of an extra chromosome, which he labeled as the 21st chromosome, and
Down syndrome is a genetic condition not an illness or disease. Us humans are made up of millions of cells with 46 chromosomes in each cell, Down syndrome occurs when you have an extra chromosome 21 this is why this condition is also known as Trisomy 21. Down syndrome is not specific to any race or religion, Down syndrome can occur to anybody although the amount of people in Australia with Down syndrome is significantly lower to other Countries around the world.
Adrian Bleyer was the one to suggest that down syndrome due to a triplication in a person’s genetic code [trisomy]. However, it wasn’t until the late 1950’s that researchers were able to obtain the time, equipment, and funding
B. Professor Jérôme Lejeune, a French Pediatrician and Geneticist, discovered that Down syndrome was a chromosomal abnormality in 1959.
Down syndrome was first discovered in 1866 by Doctor John Langdon Down. He first described Down syndrome as a neurological disorder, but he misunderstood how Down syndrome is caused. Another doctor by the name of Jerome Lejeune discovered the cause of Down syndrome in 1959. In the 20th century, many people with Down syndrome were killed and neglected. They were put in institutions and were subject to many experiments including lobotomies. But over the years society has been able to understand Down syndrome and has now started an effort to find a cure. In the United States today, Down syndrome affects over 400,000 people.
. Down syndrome is not a disease that someone catches and is not caused by difficulties during the pregnancy, it is a genetic condition. This condition is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in the body’s cells and causes a redundant amount of proteins to be formed. All cells of the body derive from a single cell formed by the fusion of a father’s sperm and a mother’s egg. Each cell carries a nucleus full of genetic material known as genes. These genes are inherited from both the mother and father. Each cell normally contains 46 pairs of chromosomes. 23 chromosomes come from one parent and 23 from the other, hence the 46 pairs. When it comes to children with down syndrome, one of the chromosomes does not separate properly and so the
Discovering you are pregnant with a child is supposed to be one of the best days of your life, but finding out your baby has the one extra 21st chromosome could change everything. Author and national correspondent for the New York Times, Amy Harmon, fights for children and families affected by the disease in her article, “Prenatal Test Puts Down Syndrome in Hard Focus.” Harmon recognizes in her article that raising a child with this disease is not easy. She provides evidence of this by including quotes and personal stories from parents and family members whose loved ones are affected by it. She illustrates a genuine passion for the growing number of parents that are “Convinced that more couples would chose to continue the pregnancies if they better appreciated what it meant to raise a child with Down syndrome”(Harmon). To better put it in perspective, an estimated 90% of women chose to have an abortion if they are given a positive diagnosis for Down syndrome.
After trying for many years, a woman was successful in becoming pregnant. As a component of one of her routine pre-natal appointments, she was tested for fetal abnormalities. A blood test confirmed that her baby has Down syndrome and her physician recommended aborting the fetus. Down syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality that leads to intellectual disability, weak muscle tone and a unique facial characteristic. Down syndrome children often have increased risks for heart defects and other medical conditions such as gastric reflux. Taking care of a child with Down syndrome can be both mentally and physically exhausting. Taking care of a child with Down syndrome can be equally rewarding.
In the past, Down syndrome had been considered one of the most devastating disabilities. There were people who believed that it this disability was a death sentence, and how aborting these children was actually a service. They believed that life would be so horrible for someone with down syndrome that it’s best to terminate the pregnancy. This condition can be seen in utero because it is a genetic disorder, and there is a mutation within the genetic code. This can be seen in-utero, and is one of the reasons people check on their child in the womb. There was nothing that could be done for these children, and that is why many believed that termination was the best option.
First of all, it is important to define Down syndrome. Traditionally, people are born with 46 chromosomes, 23 from the mother and 23 from the father. Down syndrome usually occurs when a person is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21. There are, however, other instances where Down syndrome can take place. For example, a person with DS might have it where, “...an extra broken piece of a twenty-first chromosome is attached to another chromosome (called translocation pattern)” (Berk, 2014, p. 40), a parent can be a carrier of the disorder, or a mosaic pattern could occur. A mosaic pattern is where a problem occurs in mitosis, resulting in some cells with defective chromosomes (Berk, 2014). How, then, can a mother know if she has a child with DS?
Down syndrome is commonly known by the public as a disease that causes physical and mental disabilities in people. Down syndrome is known by the scientific community as a genetic disorder of the twenty-first chromosome. As a result of this genetic disorder other systems of the body are also affected, this includes mental and physical disabilities. Down syndrome “is a lifelong condition… that happens before birth” (WebMD, 2015). According to the National Down Syndrome Society one in every 691 babies are born with the condition (NDSS, 2015). In order to understand this condition it is
The article “Down Syndrome” reviewed by Dr. Mary Gavin, thoroughly explains the causes, affects and diagnosis of the condition. This genetic condition involves the individual gaining an extra chromosome, ending up with 47 instead of 46. A person with Down syndrome facial and bodily features will be distinctly unique, making it easy to characterize them from others. Consistent medical attention is crucial for a child with the condition, even if the child appears to have no significant health concerns. With out proper care, the child could develop pulmonary hypertension, worsened vision and hearing, seizures, asthma, infections etc. Prenatal screening
Down Syndrome is the most common genetic disorder in the United States. It was first described in 1866 by John Langdon Down. The actual cause of Down Syndrome or Trisomy 21 was discovered in 1959. In the United States 1 in every 800 kids will be diagnosed with
Until the mid-twentieth century, Down Syndrome was considered a mysterious genetic condition that not many scientists or common people could understand or accurately describe. More specifically, members of the society realized that people with Down Syndrome were different — but they could not distinguish or diagnosticate the characteristics or the causes of the condition. Although that is true, scientists and doctors like Jérôme Lejeune, Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol, and Édouard Séguin had investigated and recognized certain indicative attributes of those with Down Syndrome. However, none of them composed a fully descriptive study that corresponded with the lives of a majority of Down Syndrome patients. In due time, (1866) British doctor John Langdon Down presented a comprehensive, widely acclaimed, and unrefuted portraiture of what Down Syndrome truly resembles.
Do you ever see other people and wonder why they act and look so differently? Their is a genetic disorder by the name of Down-Syndrome. Down-Syndrome is a condition in which a person has 47 chromosomes while others have 46. People with this disorder may have the facial features of flat face, small nose, upward slant eyes, enlarged tongue and may appear shorter than others. Down-Syndrome has nothing to do with race, nationality, religion or anything the father or mother did during pregnacy.. Most parents want to know what is going on with the baby as the mother is pregnant and the best way to find out if your child is diagnosed with Down-Syndrome is a screening test and diagnostic test. A screening test is when you take a blood
To begin ,Down syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that results when a person inherits all or part of an extra copy of chromosome 21. This can occur in a variety of ways, the causes of which are unknown. The most common chromosomal abnormality that produces Down syndrome (accounting for 95% of all cases) is Trisomy 21, a defect in which an extra, third copy chromosome is present in every cell in the body. According to Parenting Magazine the number of Down syndrome births is relatively low for 18-yr-old mothers—1 in about 2100 births. In the later childbearing years the risk in creases—1 in 1000 births for 30-yr-old women to 1 in about 100 births for 40-yr-old women. Two other chromosomal abnormalities cause Down syndrome and occur in about