Causes of Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21)




Wednesday, January 20, 2010

What Causes Down Syndrome?


Down's affection is authentic as a ache that comes about because of a abiogenetic aberancy that abnormally affects the brainy capabilities and concrete appearance of an afflicted person. Individuals with this action absolutely generally acquaintance capricious degrees of medical and concrete issues. Some bodies with the ache are able to auspiciously advance moderately approved lives while others charge assiduous medical care. It affects 1 in 800 newborns and is said to be added accepted with earlier mothers. The ache cannot be prevented, about it can be apparent in utero, afore the babyish is born. There is still abundant altercation in affiliation to the ramifications of abiogenetic testing for Down'ssyndrome. It has been empiric that an estimated 90-93% of pregnancies with a Down's babies were aborted already this was articular through assorted forms of abiogenetic testing methods.

The angle for accouchement with Down's affection has decidedly bigger in contempo years. The approved activity amount for an alone with Down's affection was 25 years old in the 1980's it has now risen to 49 years of age in present times. Bodies with the ache will usually be barren abnormally males who are alone partially abundant in acutely attenuate instances. Most accouchement with Down's affection will additionally acquaintance acutely bargain cerebral abilities. However, with bare medical intervention, ancestors abutment and abstruse training the adolescent with bottomward affection can apprentice to overcome, to some extent, his or her disabilities.

What Causes Down's Syndrome

The disease as mentioned before is caused by a genetic irregularity. A normal person will have 46 chromosomes, 23 of which will be inherited from either parent. In an individual with Down's syndrome he or she will have an overall number of 47 chromosomes or essentially 1 more chromosome than is expected. This chromosomal abnormality manifests because of an extra copy of the 21st chromosome. The effect of the extra copy will vary among affected people.





The condition cannot be prevented and is said to be a randomly occurring event. However women over the age of 35 are at an increased risk of conceiving a child with Down syndrome. The risk for different age groups are listed below:

• Women who are 25 years of age will typically have a 1in 1,250 chance of having a Down's baby.

• Women who are 30 years of age will normally have. 1 in 1000 chance of having a Down's baby.

• Women who are 35 years of age will normally have 1in 400 chance of having a Down's baby.

• Women who are 40 years of age will typically have 1 in 100 chance of having a Down's baby.

• Women who are 45 years of age will normally have. 1 in 30 chance of having a Down's baby.

The odds of conceiving a child with Down's Syndrome may also be associated with a familial genetic irregularity. A person who has a balanced translocation will not show any signs of down syndrome but will have an elveated risk of conceiving a child with translocation Down syndrome. The estimated risk is 1 in 5 for the female carrier and 1 in 50 for a male carrier. In some cases where there is no unattached copy of chromosome 21 the carrier's offspring will all have Down's Syndrome. The affected parent is therefore said to be a translocation carrier. This sort of Down's syndrome is said to occur in 2-3% of all Down's syndrome cases.

Doctors found that what causes Down syndrome environmentally may be the parents' age. For example, a 25-year-old mother has a 1/3,000 chance of having a baby with Down syndrome. By age 35, her risk will have increased to 1/365 and by 45, it will be a 1/30 chance of having a baby with the genetic condition! The latest Down syndrome research suggests that older fathers are now responsible for the 50% rise in risk, when the mother is also over 40.

Even though the odds get worse as the parents age, 80% of these babies are born to women who are 35 or younger. However, that statistic can also be explained because younger women are having many more babies. Younger mothers who smoke and have a meiotic II error or who smoke and take oral contraceptives are at increased risk for having a Down child as well.

During pregnancy, there are several screening tests to examine what causes Down syndrome. Some people get blood tests like the quad screen, which reveals chromosomal disorders between the eleventh and fourteenth weeks of pregnancy. Doctors look for plasma protein-A and the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone.

This test is about 87% effective in making a Down syndrome diagnosis. Ultrasound is another method to check for abnormalities. While these tests may give parents peace of mind, they may also set off a false alarm. Even though 1/20 women test positive, most will go on to deliver healthy babies anyway.

No comments:

Post a Comment