Three Different Types Of Down Syndrome

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Down Syndrome (DS) is the most common birth defect and congenital disorder in the United States caused by the presence of an extra 21st chromosome. This genetic condition causes delays in the way a child develops, both mentally and physically. People with Down Syndrome have distinctive features, such as, mild to moderate mental retardation, weak muscle tone, small head and ears, upward slant to the eyes, hyper flexibility, short stature, protruding tongue, and a flattened facial profile. The severity of these problems varies greatly among affected individuals.
There are three types of Down Syndrome: trisomy 21 (nondisjunction), translocation, and mosaicism. People often can’t tell the difference between each type without looking at the chromosomes because the physical and behavior features have many similarities. Each type of Down Syndrome is based on a percentage regarding documented cases of Down Syndrome in the United States. The most common type of Down Syndrome is Trisomy 21 (nondisjunction). Down Syndrome is normally caused by an error in cell division called “nondisjunction.” Nondisjunction results in an embryo with three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two. Before …show more content…

“If you had a roomful of 100 babies with Down Syndrome, they would all look alike and have similar features and health problems. You would not be able to pick out the babies that have translocation.” Mosaicism, the 3rd and rarest type of Down Syndrome is caused by abnormal cell division after fertilization. Mosaicism is used to describe the presence of more than one type of cell in a person. Clinically, babies born with mosaic Down Syndrome can have the same features and health problems seen in babies born with trisomy 21 or translocation Down Syndrome. However, the presence of cells with the normal number of chromosomes (46) may result in a less severe presentation or fewer characteristics of Down

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