Down syndrome is an inherited disorder, in which most children are born with 23 pairs of chromosomes inside each cell for a total of 46 chromosomes, a structure containing genes made up of your DNA. Down with an extra copy of chromosome 21, with three copies of the chromosome instead of the usual two.
According to the website, clevelandclinic People born with Down syndrome face some physical and mental challenges throughout their lives, and they usually have distinct features of the body and face that distinguish them from one another, they are more likely to develop slowly and are more prone to certain medical conditions.
What are the signs and symptoms of Down syndrome?
Down syndrome causes physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. Physical signs of Down syndrome can include::
Short stature, stocky, with a short neck.
Muscle weakness.
Flat facial features, especially the bridge of the nose.
Small ears.
Almond eyes tilted upward.
Small hands and feet.
One deep crease in the middle of the palm of the hand.
Delays in speech and language development.
Attention problems.
Sleeping difficulties.
Stubbornness and tantrums.
Delayed perception.
Delayed toilet training.
Not all people with Down syndrome have all of these symptoms, and symptoms and their severity vary from person to person.
Is there a way to tell if your child has Down syndrome?
Health care providers can diagnose Down syndrome before your baby is born or at birth by:
Uses blood tests and an ultrasound (imaging test) to look for “signs” that you may have Down syndrome.
Other prenatal screenings used to diagnose Down syndrome include amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. (CVS) andIn these tests, the doctor removes a sample of cells from a part of the uterus called the placenta(CVS) or the fluid around the baby (amniocentesis), to look for abnormal chromosomes You may choose whether or not to have these prenatal tests.
At birth, providers look for physical signs of Down syndrome, to confirm the diagnosis, and a blood test called a karyotype is done. In this test, a small sample of blood is taken and studied under a microscope to see if there is an extra amount of chromosome 21.