Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality in the world. It is discovered by John Langdon Down in 1866 after observing the characteristics of some of the mental retardation children. There are many features of this birth defect.
Generally, we can easily detect the Down syndrome child via their physical features. They almost look alike. This syndrome was described as “Mongoloids” before this. But, this sounds like an insult to the Mongolians. Thus, the “Mongoloids” was never used again in the world since 1960s.
One of the most usual features is the mental retardation. However, it depends to the serious of the symptom. Many of them cannot speak well. This causes them difficult to learn. They need plenty of time to learn the things such as breast feed, walking, talking and dressing. There are some school that specifically designed for the Down syndrome child now. You can just join the group with some simple clicks online.
Another usual symptom is the slow rate of development. The child cannot grow normally. We can easily recognize them with the small ears, head and eyes. Sometimes, we can see the upturned nose and flat face with them too. The malformations will cause some medical problems too. The medicine can help to reduce some of the symptoms effectively.
Besides, some of the Down syndrome has the symptom of hypogonadism. Usually, this only happen on the males. Thus, the males are usually reproductive failure. On the other hand, the females’ menarche occurs at normal time. The pregnancy is possible for the females.
Furthermore, there are many others disease and conditions that children with this genetic problem may encounter. Usually, the Down syndrome babies are born with heart problems. They are easy to get cancer than the normal children. Some of them are born with hearing impairment and poor vision too.
There are many hypotheses explaining the causes of Down syndrome. There is an extra chromosome 21 for the Down syndrome patient. This is because of the non-disjunction occurred during the sperm or ovum formation. Yet, it is related to the age of parents too. The increase of parental age will increase the risk of having a Down syndrome child. Many cases show that parents who are older than 35 years old are in risk of having the child with this abnormality.
Lastly, raising a Down syndrome child is not as easy as the normal child. And I believe your love to the baby will overcome everything. Many parents of Down syndrome children would not wish to change a thing for bringing up their unique child even though they are given choice. For them, this is the great things to have such children.
You may find out more about Down syndrome in Down Syndrome review and Down Syndrome Symptoms.
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