The Influence of Maternal Age on Down syndrome Children born to older parents are at greater risk for genetic abnormalities, such as Down syndrome. No one knows what causes the chromosomal abnormality that results in Down syndrome, a condition according to the National Association for Down syndrome, affects one in 800 to 1,000 babies in the United States. Any woman regardless of her culture, race and socio-economic status can have a baby with Down syndrome. However, a mother’ age seems to be a unifying factor among children with Down syndrome. Older women have a greater chance of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome, and the risks increases with every passing year. The National Association for Down syndrome estimates the chance of having a baby with Down syndrome to be as follows: Less than 1 in 1,000 for a woman below age 30 Approximately 1 in 400 for a 35-year-old woman Approximately 1 in 105 for a 40-year-old woman Approximately 1 in 20 for a 46-year-old woman History of Down Syndrome In 1886, physician John Langdon Down was the first scientist to identify Down syndrome. Down was the administrator of a mental institute for children in Surrey, England. From his observations and work at the institute, he was able to identify a set of children who exhibited characteristics such as short nose, broad flat face, short and broad hands, which are features commonly identified with Down syndrome. He later wrote an essay entitled “Observations of the Ethnic Classification of Idiots” in which he asserts the notion that it was possible to classify different types of health conditions through race. His essay included his now famous classification of what is today known as Down syndrome, which he categorized as the Mongol... ... middle of paper ... ...1994;330:1114–8. 16. American College of Medical Genetics Clinical Practice Committee. ACMG position statement on multiple marker screening in women 35 and older. American College of Medical Genetics College Newsletter, January 1994;2. 17. American College of Medical Genetics Clinical Practice Committee. Statement on multiple marker screening in pregnant women. American College of Medical Genetics College Newsletter, January 1996;6. 18. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Maternal serum screening. ACOG Educational Bulletin, 1996; no. 228. 19. Benn PA, Borgida A, Horne D, Briganti S, Collins R, Rodis J. Down syndrome and neural tube defect screening: the value of using gestational age by ultrasonography. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1997;176:1056–61. 20. Benacerraf BR. Ultrasound of fetal syndromes. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1998:328–38.
The child that I tested will be referred to as K.L. I tested her on April 14th 2016. K.L. is 2 years old, with her exact age being 2 years 9 months and 14 days. I called and asked her mother if she would mind dropping K.L. off with me for a few hours so I could perform the test, and then pick her back up after the test was complete. This test more accurate when the caregiver is not present. K.L. has a step sister and a baby brother on the way. She has always been in the daycare setting, because her grandmother is a provider. K.L. was delivered full term via planned cesarean section due to her mother’s small pelvis. There was no complications during this pregnancy. K.L. weighted 8 lbs. 4 oz. and was 20 ½ inches long at birth, now weighting in at ...
Maternal & Child Health Journal, 8(3), 107-110. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=14089739&site=ehost-live.
It is well known that children have Down syndrome within physical features. They are not different than a person who does not have Down syndrome, but their physical features are quite different such as, facial appearance in the face, which is flatter. They also have a slant within their eyes, smaller ears and protruding tongue which is slightly bigger and suspends out a part from the mouth. (2)
Many people believe, from common knowledge, that having a Down syndrome cannot be prevented and that it is genetic. This was proved w...
Down syndrome, a genetic disorder, is the most common cause for intellectual disabilities, occurring at an average of one out of every 700 births (CDS, 2006). This disorder is caused by the extra chromosome 21 (also known as Trisomy 21). According to Hassold and Sherman (2002), the probability of giving birth to a child with DS is not linked to any race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or geographic location. Maternal age seems to be the only etiological factor that may cause DS.
Performance Characteristics of Postpartum Screening Tests for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Women with a History of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review, 18(7), Retrieved from http://lib-proxy.calumet.purdue.edu:2461/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=15&sid=af725124-1c4c-4d18-9e92-35d14ad23d66%40sessionmgr4&vid=15&sid=af Diabetes Information Hub -. (2011). The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Retrieved from http://diabetesinformationhub.com/GestationalDiabetes.php. Mayo Clinic. (2010).
Prenatal genetic testing has become one of the largest and most influencial advances in clinical genetics today. "Of the over 4000 genetic traits which have been distinguished to date, more than 300 are identifiable via prenatal genetic testing" (Morris, 1993). Every year, thousands of couples are subjecting their lives to the results of prenatal tests. For some, the information may be a sigh of relief, for others a tear of terror. The psychological effects following a prenatal test can be devastating, leaving the woman with a decision which will affect the rest of her life.
The "Genetic Screening" Genetic Screening. NDSU,. Web. The Web. The Web.
second, prenatal testing, is a testing of a fetus at risk for the disease. The
YuanLuole, Shiming Lu , Zhou Jiang , Guang Yong , “ The Journal of Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine July ( 2011);24 (7): 960-965
Would you want to know the health of your child before it is born? That is what Prenatal Testing is for. If you don’t know what it is exactly, you’ll learn as you read through this paper. The two types of prenatal testing are prenatal screening and prenatal diagnosis. Both types of testing allow for pregnant women to have a clearer understanding of their child. (Prenatal Diagnosis 2015) New ways of learning about the fetus will most likely become available in the near future because of technology advancing everyday. Even though some people believe miscarriages are a problem with some of the testing that’s done, it’s okay for pregnant women to do prenatal testing to make sure their baby is healthy because there could be possible disorders in the baby, results from the testing can help, and the tests can find cancer in pregnant women.
Another technology that has been around for a while is the general ultrasound. In the article by Jennifer Wang she states, “The risk of a patient having a fetus with Down syndrome can be assessed non-invasively using fetal markers seen on ultrasound.
Down Syndrome Education Online -. Education online. 1996-2013. Web. The Web. The Web.
Chambers, C. D., Polifka, J. E., & Friedman, J. M. (2008). Drug safety in pregnant women and their babies: ignorance not bliss. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 83(1), 181-183.
Many of the disorders identified by newborn screening programs are heterogeneous. For proper screening, specialized laboratory testing, interpretation, and treat...