Down Syndrome

Addressing Gastrointestinal Disorders to Improve Quality of Life for Individuals With Down Syndrome
Addressing Gastrointestinal Disorders to Improve Quality of Life for Individuals With Down Syndrome 1024 661 Erin Gregory

Down syndrome (DS) affects approximately 1 in 700 children born in the United States, presenting with intellectual disability and distinct physical features. Alongside these challenges, individuals with DS often contend with various medical issues that impact their quality of life (QoL), including gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Recent research published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics,…

Changing the Odds: Survival Trends in Children With Down Syndrome and Congenital Heart Defects
Changing the Odds: Survival Trends in Children With Down Syndrome and Congenital Heart Defects 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
Smiling baby with Down syndrome

About half of the children born with Down syndrome also have congenital heart defects (CHD). As a transplant cardiologist, Lydia K Wright, MD, wanted to learn if CHD was still the most significant mortality risk for these patients before age five. [1] “Our aim was to assess whether the survival rate of kids with Down…

Preterm Birth Increases Health Vulnerabilities of Babies With Down Syndrome
Preterm Birth Increases Health Vulnerabilities of Babies With Down Syndrome 1024 624 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

Babies with Down syndrome who are born preterm have higher prenatal morbidity and mortality rates than those in babies with Down syndrome born at term, suggesting pediatricians can lower their risk threshold for certain screenings or interventions. Compared with age-matched neonates without Down syndrome, babies with Down syndrome are more likely to experience developmental delay,…

Stronger Together: A Multi-institutional Database Is Connecting Down Syndrome Clinics for Better Outcomes
Stronger Together: A Multi-institutional Database Is Connecting Down Syndrome Clinics for Better Outcomes 1024 575 Stephanie Santoro, MD

Due to medical advances, people with Down syndrome are living longer than ever before. This increased life expectancy has nearly doubled in the past 25 years. The National Down Syndrome Society estimates that 400,000 people with Down syndrome are living in the United States. Despite this increased life expectancy, little current information on the secondary…

Uncovering Racial Disparities in Down Syndrome
Uncovering Racial Disparities in Down Syndrome 1024 575 Stephanie Santoro, MD

Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome varies depending on race, but why? An estimated 6000 infants with Down syndrome (DS) are born in the United States annually, making it the most common liveborn trisomy and chromosomal condition.[1] And a significant increase in overall life expectancy has been noted over the last several decades.[2] However,…

How to Increase Adherence to Screening Guidelines for Children With Down Syndrome
How to Increase Adherence to Screening Guidelines for Children With Down Syndrome 150 150 Abbie Miller

Recent study shows that while most families and physicians support the guidelines, patients are not receiving the recommended screenings. Children with Down syndrome have multiple medical conditions and cognitive impairments related to the additional genetic material from chromosome 21. Because of common comorbid conditions in the Down syndrome population such as heart defects, hearing loss,…

Boosting Research With a Down Syndrome Biobank
Boosting Research With a Down Syndrome Biobank 150 150 Abbie Miller

A new biobank for Down syndrome blood samples will enable clinical and translational researchers everywhere to shed light on conditions related to Down syndrome, including Alzheimer’s disease. Certain conditions such as congenital heart disease, childhood leukemia and epilepsy are more common in patients with Down syndrome than in the general population. Other conditions, including solid…