Down syndrome is a genetic condition affecting the physical, cognitive, and social development of children and adults. It is characterized by an extra copy of chromosome 21, which affects brain and body development, leading to physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. Children with Down syndrome tend to grow and develop physically and cognitively at a slower pace than their peers, but socially, they tend to be similar to those without the condition.
Down syndrome can cause distinctive physical and facial features, developmental delays, and mild to moderate intellectual disability. Common physical signs include decreased or poor muscle tone, short neck with excess skin at the back, flattened facial profile and nose, reduced aerobic abilities, reduced muscular strength, and reduced bone mineral density levels compared to their peers without Down syndrome.
People with Down syndrome develop physical skills differently than their peers, including sensory processing, executive functioning, gross motor, feeding, self-care, and life skills. The extra chromosome affects how the child’s brain and body develop, leading to developmental delays, intellectual disability, and an increased risk for other health issues.
In babies and young children with Down syndrome, they may develop low muscle tone, ligament laxity, short stature, a protruding tongue, and delayed growth and puberty. They may also develop teeth more slowly than other children, develop teeth in a different order, develop fewer teeth, or have fewer teeth.
Delay in growth and puberty are some of the most common impacts on physical development, with Down syndrome varying in severity among individuals, causing lifelong intellectual disability and developmental delays.
📹 Down Syndrome Answers: How does Down syndrome affect intellectual development?
The best person to answer a question about Down syndrome is a person with Down syndrome. Travis answers this one.
What is a physical problem associated with Down syndrome?
The Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome outline common medical issues such as congenital cardiac and gastrointestinal anomalies, autoimmune conditions, diverse leukemias, respiratory infections, sleep disorders, hearing and vision loss, and early Alzheimer’s-type dementia. Despite these challenges, individuals with Down syndrome typically live a long, happy life with an average life expectancy of 60 years. Regular GP check-ups and screenings are crucial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, is also essential for those with Down syndrome. These guidelines emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for individuals with Down syndrome.
How does Down syndrome affect physical development?
Down syndrome is a genetic disorder affecting children and teens, causing mild to moderate intellectual impairment, speech and motor skills delays, and self-care difficulties. These children often grow slower and remain shorter than their peers. Their physical features include a flat facial profile, upward slant to the eyes, small ears, and a protruding tongue. Medical problems associated with Down syndrome vary widely, with some children needing extensive medical attention while others lead healthy lives.
What physical features are affected by Down syndrome?
Down syndrome is a condition where a person has an extra copy of chromosome 21, which changes how their body and brain develop during their growth. This can cause physical and mental challenges, such as slower speech development. Facial features like a flattened face, almond-shaped eyes, and a sticking tongue can be symptoms of Down syndrome. Chromosomes are small gene packages that determine body form and function.
How does Down syndrome affect a person?
Down syndrome is a chromosomal condition characterized by intellectual disability, a characteristic facial appearance, and weak muscle tone in infancy. It is usually mild to moderate in severity. People with Down syndrome often have a flattened face, upslanting eyes, small ears, a short neck, and a tongue sticking out of the mouth. They may also have birth defects, such as small hands and feet and a single crease across the palms. About half of affected children are born with a heart defect.
Digestive abnormalities are less common. Individuals with Down syndrome have an increased risk of developing medical conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux and celiac disease. About 15% of people with Down syndrome have an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), which produces hormones. They also have an increased risk of hearing and vision problems. A small percentage of children with Down syndrome develop leukemia, a blood-forming cell cancer.
How are people with Down syndrome physically impaired?
Down syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by poor muscle tone and low strength, which can lead to delays in various activities such as walking, crawling, and rolling over. Children with Down syndrome are at a higher risk for health problems, including dysphagia, which can affect their ability to feed properly. This can be exacerbated by the tongue sticking out, which can make feeding difficult. Nutritional supplements may be necessary to ensure proper nutrition, and parents can work with breastfeeding experts and pediatric nutritionists to ensure proper nutrition.
Additionally, weak muscles can cause digestive issues, such as difficulty swallowing or constipation, which may require collaboration with a gastroenterologist. These conditions can be treated with medication, surgery, or other interventions.
What are the physical differences in people with Down syndrome?
Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder characterized by an extra copy of chromosome 21, which can lead to facial dysmorphology, a large tongue, low muscle tone, short stature, and intellectual disability. It can also cause obstructive sleep apnea, visual and hearing problems, and cognitive impairments. In adulthood, DS presents with accelerated aging and an increased likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The DS brain typically develops relatively normally during the first few months postnatally, but growth slows afterward, with cortical areas being particularly reduced.
Individual differences in DS genetics are significant at every level of description. The most common cause of DS is the additional copy of an entire chromosome 21, which can occur through various mechanisms and at different points during the formation of germ cells. Non-disjunction, a non-disjunction error in cell division, can arise during meiosis I, meiosis II, or from a mitotic error. DS can also occur when only a segment of chromosome 21 has three copies (partial trisomy), or when the whole chromosome is triplicated but only a proportion of the cells are trisomic (mosaicism).
Research on parental origin or the mechanism of mosaicism is currently sparse, making it difficult to identify the main mechanism. While mosaicism has sometimes been claimed to yield a milder cognitive phenotype, data addressing this is very sparse and does not correlate with phenotypic severity. However, mosaicism provides an excellent opportunity to study phenotypic differences, as disomic and trisomic cell lines derived from mosaics only differ in the extra chromosome 21.
In what ways is physical health affected by Down’s syndrome?
The Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome outline common medical issues such as congenital cardiac and gastrointestinal anomalies, autoimmune conditions, diverse leukemias, respiratory infections, sleep disorders, hearing and vision loss, and early Alzheimer’s-type dementia. Despite these challenges, individuals with Down syndrome typically live a long, happy life with an average life expectancy of 60 years. Regular GP check-ups and screenings are crucial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, is also essential for those with Down syndrome. These guidelines emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for individuals with Down syndrome.
What are the physical disabilities of Down syndrome?
Down syndrome children often experience delays in physical activities such as rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and walking due to poor muscle tone and low strength. However, they can learn to participate in physical activities like other children. Children with Down syndrome are at an increased risk for certain health problems, which can be treated with medication, surgery, or other interventions.
Some common conditions include poor muscle tone, tongue sticking out, and difficulty feeding, which can be addressed through nutritional supplements and collaboration with breastfeeding experts and pediatric nutritionists.
Additionally, weak muscles can cause digestive problems, such as difficulty swallowing and constipation, which may require collaboration with a gastroenterologist. While not every child with Down syndrome will experience serious health issues, many can be treated with medication, surgery, or other interventions.
How does Down syndrome affect height?
Individuals with Down syndrome often exhibit short stature, which can be further exacerbated by the presence of additional conditions such as celiac disease, hypothyroidism, and growth hormone deficiency. This necessitates the utilization of specific growth charts for children with Down syndrome.
Does Down syndrome affect physical ability?
Individuals with Down syndrome typically exhibit some physical limitations, yet they are generally capable of engaging in the majority of physical activities that their non-disabled counterparts can.
What are the physical characteristics possessed by a person with Down syndrome give?
Down syndrome is a genetic condition characterized by low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the palm. It affects approximately one in every 775 babies in the United States, making it the most common chromosomal condition. Each person with Down syndrome may possess these characteristics to different degrees or not at all. Donations can help people with Down syndrome, their families, and caregivers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports about 5, 000 babies with Down syndrome each year.
📹 Down syndrome (trisomy 21) – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, & pathology
What is Down syndrome (trisomy 21)? Down syndrome is a set of symptoms that arise from a genetic abnormality, in which an …
In terms of heart defects, he states between the two atria (producing an ejection systolic murmur) being most common (‘usually’) but note the most common is an AVSD, which produces a holosystolic of course, along with VSDs Prevalence AVSD: 29% VSD: 21.5% ASD: 19.9% (EJ murmur) So you will most likely hear a holosystolic murmur source for chd prevalence ; Benhaourech, CHD & down syndrome
This happened with my first but it was a marker in his brain, they said they didn’t even want to tell us about it bc it stresses Moms out more then it should but legally they have to tell you if they find one, we couldn’t afford a follow up anatomy scan but my midwife sounded confident that it was fine, he came out a healthy baby. I wouldn’t stress about it
there is a new member of our family having a down sydrome it made everyone in our family sad but it made me happy honestly and i am a medical student and i have plegded myself now that i will be bearing all her expenses when i will become doctor insha Allah which i am going to be and keep her confident and away from the eviliest society which made me suffer in my childhood insha Allah
My mom was 24 when she had my brother, in 1961. As we reached 20 years old, my mom relayed the then-truth to me, that he would likely die in his 20s due to the health issues. Besides his brain slowness, his organ issues was around the urinary tract. He is now 63. After perusal this article today, I understand how it happened. Back then, no one in the general public knew how it happened. My mom was guilted into believing it was because she had ridden a horse while pregnant.😢
I typically love your articles but this was only about the genetics and not about the person. Beyond a genetic condition Down Syndrome is also an intellectual development disorder with a set of symptoms and treatment requirements, especially psychosocial requirements. This article would have been much more interesting with more focus on the individual.
Thank you for this article! It’s really interesting! I got hyper-focused on this when I was meant to be doing French homework… It seems like many people in the comments section are studying Pharmacy, Medicine, Psychology, etc. This article contains information that is way past my school complexity for teaching students of my age. I’m just extremely interested in Biology, Psychology and the medical field. I want to take Psychology for my GCSE’s.
Mine was positive with my daughter. I dont remember the number I wanna say 1 in 200. But she doesn’t have downs syndrome. Also have friends who was positive too theirs was 1 in 86 I believe and their daughter is just fine. I wouldnt worry too much about it. We went to a specialist too and they confirmed it was a False positive. Was a cool appointment though. Got 3d and 4d ultrasound and they tested/looked for any defects that anyone in the family might of had. Good luck
The Down Syndrome used to be called “China Syndrome” till the end of ww2. The name “Down Syndrome” only started being commonly used from the 1970’s onwards. After the release of the movie “China Syndrome” about nuclear power plant accident, that name “China Syndrome” informally ended being used completely to refer to kids with Down Syndrome.
I also chose not to have the down syndrome test for my baby girl. Those test are typically more for parents who would want to or would think about terminating their baby if it came up positive. I don’t want to worry whether my baby has that or not based on what a test says, especially since they are not always accurate.