Some facts about Down syndrome
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Down syndrome occurs in 1 in 800 births.
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John Langdon Down, an English physician, was the first to recognize the cluster of traits common in people with what is now known as Down syndrome. He published his findings in 1866.
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"Down" or 'Downs"? In 1975, the United States National Institutes of Health convened a conference to standardize the name of malformations. They recommended eliminating the possessive form: “The possessive use of an eponym should be discontinued, since the author neither had nor owned the disorder.” John Langdon Down first described it in 1866, but he neither had it, nor "owned" the syndrome so it should not take on the possessive form of Down's syndrome. (An example of possessiveness is ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, because he had the disease.).
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In 1959 Dr. Jeremy Lejeune discovered the fact that all people with this syndrome had an extra 21st chromosome.
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30% - 50% of the individuals with Down syndrome have heart defects and 8% - 12% have gastrointestinal tract abnormalities present at birth. Most of these defects are now correctable by surgery.
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Down syndrome is not related to race, nationality, religion or socio-economic status.
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Rather than saying “Down syndrome baby/child” say “A baby/child with Down syndrome". This values the person before the syndrome.
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The "s" on syndrome is not capitalized.
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Down syndrome is not an illness. A person either has Down syndrome or they do not. Having Down syndrome does not mean the person is sick. It is wrong to refer to people with Down syndrome as "afflicted with" or "suffering from" it.
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Down syndrome is not a condition that can be cured. However, early intervention can help many people with Down syndrome live productive lives well into adulthood.
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There are three types of Down syndrome. The most common type is caused by an error in cell division which results in 3 number 21 chromosomes instead of the usual two. Hence, the other name for this genetic disorder, Trisomy 21. The other two types of this disorder are Mosaic and Translocation Down syndrome. It is very important to remember that Down syndrome is not caused by anything the mother did or did not do before or during the pregnancy.
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