Down Syndrome
...ich in people with Down Syndrome tend to have larger Red Blood Cells, transient Leukemia, low platelet count thrombocyopentia, and increased platelet count thrombocytosis, blue skin when they are born, Chronic Skin Infections, Alopecia, Musculoskeletal disorders, epilepsy, thyroid problems, sleep apnea and last but not least Gastroesophageal Reflux disorder. So as you can tell there is tons of health problems that people with Down Syndrome have to deal with and that’s probably why they don’t tend to live very long. The life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased over the years. In 1929, the average life span for a person with Down syndrome was nine years. Today, it is common for a person with Down syndrome to live until they turn fifty or even older. Many people nowadays with Down syndrome can form meaningful relationships and eventually can marry. Since people who have Down Syndrome are living longer and fuller lives they are getting greater attention from family members and caretakers and now many adults with Down Syndrome have developed from helpers the skills that are needed to hold down a job and they are able to live independently. Down syndrome is usually caused by an error in cell division called non-disjunction. However, there are two other types of chromosomal abnormalities which cause Down Syndrome; mosaics, and Translocation but these two generally have a lesser degree of severity. In all cases of Down Syndrome, everyone will have an extra number 21 chromosome present in all, or some, of their cells. This extra genetic material changes the way of development and causes some of the known characteristics associated with the syndrome. Non disjunction is a faulty cell division which results in an embryo with three number 21 chromosomes instead of two. Before, or during conception, a pair of number 21 chromosomes, in the sperm or the egg do not separate. As the embryo develops, the extra chromosome is replicated in every cell of the body. This faulty cell division is responsible for 95 percent of all cases of Down syndrome. The cause of non disjunction is unknown, although some people think it has something to do when the child was being conceived. Some people are surprised to learn that 80 percent of children born with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age. This is because younger women have higher fertility rates. It has been expected that some environmental factors may be implicated in non disjunction. Although the cause (or causes) of non disjunction, is still unknown the research is still going on today. There apparently is no connection between any type of Down syndrome and the parents activities before or during pregnancy. Mosaics occurs when non disjunction of the 21st chromosome takes place in one of the initial cell divisions after fertilization. When this occurs, there is a mixture of two types of cells, some containing 46 chromosomes and some containing 47. Those cells with 47 chromosomes contain an extra 21st chromosome. Due of the "mosaic" pattern of the cells, the term mosaics is used. Mosaics is extremely rare only being responsible for about one to two percent of all cases of Down syndrome. Some research has shown that individuals with mosaic Down syndrome are less affected than those with trisomy 21; however, broad overviews of Down Syndrome are not possible due to the wide range of symptoms and characteristics some people possess and not others. Translocation is a yet another type of chromosomal problem and occurs in approximately three to four percent of people with Down syndrome. Translocation occurs when part of the number 21 chromosome breaks off during cell division and attaches itself to another chromosome. The total number of chromosomes still remains 46 the existence of the extra part of the number 21 chromosome causes the Down Syndrome features. Like non disjunction trisomy 21, translocation occurs either before or at conception. Unrelated to non disjunction, the womens’ age is not linked to the risk of translocation. Most cases are irregular, and occur only by chance. In about one-third of cases of Translocation there can be one parent who is a carrier of a translocated chromosome. For this specific reason, the risk of reoccurring for translocation is higher than non disjunction. Genetic counseling can be done to determine the cause of the translocation. For parents of a child with Down syndrome due to translocation trisomy 21, there is an increased chance of having other children with Down Syndrome. This is because one of the two parents may be a balanced carrier of the translocation. The translocation occurs when a piece of chromosome 21 becomes attached to another chromosome, often number 14, during cell division. If the resulting sperm or ovum receives a chromosome 14 (or another chromosome), with a piece of chromosome 21 attached and retains the chromosome 21 that lost a section due to translocation, then the reproductive cells contain the normal or balanced amount of chromosome 21. While there will be no Down syndrome associated characteristics exhibited, the individual who de...