The Causes and Effects of Down Syndrome Essay example

Down syndrome occurs by nondisjunction. Nondisjunction is the failure of a pair of chromosomes to separate during egg, or sperm, formation. The embryo ends up with three copies of chromosome 21 when the defective chromosome’s egg joins with a normal sperm

. 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

Down Syndrome is the most common genetic form of mental retardation and occurs in about 1 out of every 800 births. It has distinctive characteristics that allow it to be easily distinguished from other forms of mental retardation (3). Factors such as maternal age, hormonal abnormalities, x-rays, viral infection, immunologic problems, and genetic predisposition can cause the improper

Answer: The most common form of Down syndrome is known as Trisomy 21, a condition where individuals have 47 chromosomes in each cell instead of 46. This is caused by an error in cell division called nondisjunction, which leaves a sperm or egg cell with an extra copy of chromosome 21 before or at conception. To the genes when the cell division occurs is when the extra chromosome goes to find a cell and attaches

Babies are born with poor muscle tone causing weak muscles and making it harder for them to develop motor skills such as using their arms and legs. It is harder for them to grasp objects, crawl, and walk. Children with Down syndrome have difficulty with their cognitive (thinking) abilities, problem solving, memory retention, social, language, and motor skills. This is one reason why people with Down syndrome become frustrated very easily.

a child who doesn´t. When a child has down syndrome there are very noticeable symptoms like: flattened facial features, short neck, small head or poor muscle tone . Some other symptoms that could be present are: more flexibility than a healthy person would have, brushfield spots which are tiny dots on the iris of the eye or unusually shaped ears. Although babies with Down syndrome seem to be the same size as normal babies, they end up growing slower causing some of the unusual formalities. Also things like walking or sitting can happen at a later age than usual for kids with this genetic disorder (3). Not only are there physical symptoms that are easier for us to notice but there are also health problems that can occur with this disorder as well. Babies who have Down syndrome are likely to have health problems like: mild to moderate cognitive disabilities, heart defects, depression or behavior problems and many others

Downs syndrome is common name for the condition known as triosomy 21. Here the triosomy indicates babies have 3 copies of a certain gene, instead of the usual two.

Babies with Down syndrome seem to be extremely quiet, less responsive, with weak muscles. Many physical signs of Down syndrome may be present including: flat face, small head, flat bridge of the nose, small mouth causing the tongue to stick out and to appear large, upward slanting eyes, extra folds of skin located at the inside corner of each eye, rounded cheeks, small ears, small wide hands, a malformed fifth finger, a wide space between the big and the second toes, and they appear to be shorter than normal

Down syndrome (Trisomy of Chromosome 21) occurs when there is a defect during meiosis, typically after a mother’s egg cells have remained in suspension for a prolonged period of time (risk increases with age) or during translocation errors during early embryonic development. Individuals with Down Syndrome present physical findings of a low nasal bridge, hypotonia, lowered ears, and short stature. Patients with Down syndrome may present signs of Alzheimer’s disease around 40 years of age.

Down Syndrome is not commonly genetically passed down as opposed to what some may think, it happens by random. About 1% of the cases are heredity and 5% come from the father. Although, the risk of having a child diagnosed with down syndrome increase dramatically past the age of 35. “A 35-year-old woman has about a one in 350 chance of conceiving a child with Down syndrome, and this chance increases gradually to 1 in 100 by age 40.” (ndss)

Symptoms of down syndrome are the following Flat facial features, Small head, Short neck, Protruding tongue, Upward slanting eyes, that is unusual for the child's ethnic group, Unusually shaped or small ears, Poor muscle tone. Broad, short hands with a single crease in the palm, Relatively short fingers and small hands and feet, Excessive flexibility. Tiny white spots on the colored part or the iris of the eye called Brushfield spots, Short height. Infants and children with down syndrome may be average size at birth , but typically they grow slower and remain shorter than other children the same age. In general, developmental milestones, such as sitting, crawling or walking may occur at about twice the age of child without impairment. People with down syndrome also suffer from cognitive delays. People affected by down syndrome varies greatly, it can happen to anyone, although more common in pregnant mothers 35 years or older. the cause of down syndrome is due to having an extra chromosome, therefore it is a disorder that happens 99% randomly and only 1% genetically. Unfortunately there is no cure, treatment or prevention for down syndrome as of today, but scientists are continuing to research for a cure. People with Down Syndrome live healthy, active lives and can function in an everyday environment.

Down syndrome “is one of the most common genetic conditions”, which is caused when there is a “sporadic mutation that results in an extra chromosome 21” (Hobson-Rohrer, Samson-Fang, 2013). Each person is born with 46 chromosomes, one set of 23 from each parent, but a person with down syndrome has a total of 47 chromosomes because they have an extra chromosome 21. “The extra chromosome disrupts the normal course of development and results in the physical features and intellectual and developmental disabilities associated with the syndrome” (Down Syndrome). “The extra 21st chromosome cause biochemical changes that redirect brain development” (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2013). Although Down Syndrome is one of the more common genetic conditions, the chance of a child being born with this disease is 1 in 691. This statistic decreases the older a woman is when she becomes pregnant. For women between the ages of 35-39 years’ old, the chance of having a child with Down syndrome is 1 in 270 (Hobson-Rohrer, Samson-Fang, 2013). This essay will discuss how Down syndrome affects children’s cognitive, physical, and social development as well as how research recommends accommodating a child with down syndrome in a classroom.

Your child will also have the increased chance of congenital heart defect and pulmonary hypertension. Congenital heart defect changes the normal flood of blood through the heart, and pulmonary hypertension is when blood vessels become hard and narrow and maybe even crumble. This makes your heart work extra hard to pump blood through the lungs, this could lead to heart failure. Along with increased childhood risk of leukemia and an unstable upper spine. This mutation is negative because it takes longer to reach childhood milestones and your child will have trouble speaking. Also, your child a higher risk of heart problems. The risk of your child having down syndrome increases the older you get. At the age of 20 the risk of your child having down syndrome is a 1 in 1,450 chance, at age 30 the risk is 1 in 1,050. At age 40 the risk is 1 in 100. About 200,000 children get down syndrome every

Organ systems such as the brain, digestive tract, endocrine system, heart, eyes, ears, muscles, and bones can all be affected by Down syndrome. A patient with the brain affected by Down syndrome can have intellectual disabilities, delayed speech, and delayed motor skills. When the brain is affected they may also have Autistic behavior and even have Alzheimer disease. A person with Down syndrome may have malformed intestines or even other gastrointestinal diseases. They may become hypothyroid or diabetic as well. Cataracts, glaucoma, crossed eyes, or even hearing loss and chronic ear infections have been associated with Down syndrome. Short stature, predisposition to obesity, and abnormally loose joints are all physical abnormalities associated with Down

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that begins to develop at the cellular level after conception. All the cells in the human body contain a center, called a nucleus, in which genetic code of each human being is stored. This genetic material, known as genes, carries the codes responsible for all our inherited characteristics from the mother and the father. Genes are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes. The nucleus of each cell normally contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, half of which come from each parent. In Down syndrome, however, the cells usually contain not 46, but 47 chromosomes. The extra chromosome being a number 21. This excess genetic material, in the form of additional genes along the 21st chromosome, results in Down syndrome. Ninety-five percent of all cases of Down syndrome occur because there are three copies of the 21st chromosome; it is often referred to as "trisomy 21." Chromosomes are studied by examining blood or tissue cells. Individual chromosomes are identified, stained and numbered from largest to smallest. The visual display of the chromosomes is known as a “karyotype”. (Karyotype is the analysis of counting the chromosomes in each cell)