More Down syndrome as moms' age
The percentage of children born with Down syndrome has increased by about one percent per year since 1979.
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The percentage of children born with Down syndrome has increased by about one percent per year since 1979.
The increase is probably because more and more women 35 and over are having babies. These older women are five times more likely than younger moms to have a baby with Down syndrome. People with Down syndrome have some degree of mental retardation, and are also at risk of certain health problems; for example many are born with heart defects. But 90 percent will celebrate their fifth birthday, and the average life expectancy for a person with Down syndrome is over 50.
To date, just one study has looked at Down syndrome rates in children and adolescents. Accurate figures are necessary to plan for health care services for these individuals as they get older, because many may need specialised care.
Researchers analysed birth defect registry data from 1979 to 2003 for 10 different US regions to come up with these numbers. On average, they found, 9 in every 10,000 babies born live in the US in 1979 had Down syndrome. That figured increased by more than 30 percent over the next 14 years, reaching nearly 12 per 10,000 babies in 2003. In 2002, the researchers estimate, there were about 83,400 people 19 and under with Down syndrome. The risk of Down syndrome was higher among boys than girls.
The findings are a good starting point to better predict the medical needs of people with Down syndrome. What the findings couldn't show is whether or not the increase in women undergoing prenatal screening has meant fewer babies are being born with Down syndrome.
The increase is probably because more and more women 35 and over are having babies. These older women are five times more likely than younger moms to have a baby with Down syndrome. People with Down syndrome have some degree of mental retardation, and are also at risk of certain health problems; for example many are born with heart defects. But 90 percent will celebrate their fifth birthday, and the average life expectancy for a person with Down syndrome is over 50.
To date, just one study has looked at Down syndrome rates in children and adolescents. Accurate figures are necessary to plan for health care services for these individuals as they get older, because many may need specialised care.
Researchers analysed birth defect registry data from 1979 to 2003 for 10 different US regions to come up with these numbers. On average, they found, 9 in every 10,000 babies born live in the US in 1979 had Down syndrome. That figured increased by more than 30 percent over the next 14 years, reaching nearly 12 per 10,000 babies in 2003. In 2002, the researchers estimate, there were about 83,400 people 19 and under with Down syndrome. The risk of Down syndrome was higher among boys than girls.
The findings are a good starting point to better predict the medical needs of people with Down syndrome. What the findings couldn't show is whether or not the increase in women undergoing prenatal screening has meant fewer babies are being born with Down syndrome.
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