Know More About Downs Syndrome

Visual problems include refractive errors, strabismus, Cataracts Keratoconus, glaucoma. Hearing problems are otitis media with effusion and chronic ear infections due to poor eustachian tube function. Excessive ear wax can also cause hearing loss due to obstruction of the outer ear canal.

- Dr Arun Oommen

38-year-old Bhandari and his 34yr old wife Shelly came to the NS OP with their 3-month-old son whom they got after 2 years of courtship. Obviously, their marriage was a late marriage. They were really apprehensive and filled with doubt about their son a rather floppy baby with a small nose, almond eyes with epicanthal folds, and smallmouth with protruding tongue. During pregnancy, various tests and ultrasound scanning had revealed few abnormalities, but the couple were reluctant to terminate the baby as they were already worried about the late conceiving plus the trauma of terminating the pregnancy. They decided to continue the pregnancy ready to take any risk. The child was diagnosed with Downs syndrome leaving the hapless parents with a bunch of questions and apprehension about his future. How did it happen to us? Is it due to any environmental factors or any genetic defect in any of the parents? What will be the future of this child? Will subsequent siblings be the same?

Down syndrome (trisomy of chromosome 21) is the most common chromosome abnormality in humans occurring in about one per 1000 babies born each year. It is typically associated with physical growth delays, characteristic facial and physical features, mild to moderate intellectual disability, poor immune function, and increased risk of a number of other health problems, including congenital heart disease, leukemia, thyroid disorders, and mental illness.

Risk Factors for Downs Syndrome Include:

• Advancing Maternal Age. A woman's chances of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome increase with age because older eggs have a greater risk of improper chromosome division. By age 35, a woman's risk of conceiving a child with Down syndrome is about 1 in 350. By age 40, the risk is about 1 in 100, and by age 45, the risk is about 1 in 30.