Does Down syndrome always affect appearance?

People with Down syndrome often have a characteristic facial appearance that includes a flattened appearance to the face, outside corners of the eyes that point upward (upslanting palpebral fissures ), small ears, a short neck , and a tongue that tends to stick out of the mouth.

Can you have Down syndrome but not look it?

Some of the children with Mosaic Down syndrome that we know do not actually look as if they have Down syndrome - the usual physical features are not obvious. This raises some important and difficult social issues and identity issues for both parents and children, which parents have discussed with us.

Can a child have Down syndrome and look normal?

Misconception: People with Down syndrome all look alike.

For example, many but not all people with Down syndrome have almond-shaped eyes and a short stature. However, like typical people who share similar features, they look more like their families than each other.

Does Down syndrome affect appearance?

Some common physical features of Down syndrome include: A flattened face, especially the bridge of the nose. Almond-shaped eyes that slant up. A short neck.

Can you be slightly Down syndrome?

Down syndrome symptoms vary from person to person and can range from mild to severe. No matter how severe the condition is, people with Down syndrome have a widely-recognized appearance. The head may be smaller than normal and abnormally shaped.

Down Syndrome: Attitudes and Expectations

What is the mildest case of Down syndrome?

Mosaic Down syndrome occurs in about 2 percent of all Down syndrome cases. People with mosaic Down syndrome often, but not always, have fewer symptoms of Down syndrome because some cells are normal.

What is mild Down syndrome called?

Mosaicism. Mosaicism (or mosaic Down syndrome) is diagnosed when there is a mixture of two types of cells, some containing the usual 46 chromosomes and some containing 47. Those cells with 47 chromosomes contain an extra chromosome 21.

Why do people with Down syndrome all look the same?

Why do people with Down syndrome look the same? They have similar features due to extra genetic material that affects growth of the maxilla (part of the skull) and the bone, cartilage, and connective tissue in the head, known as the cranial neural crest.

What are the 4 types of Down syndrome?

There are three types of Down syndrome: trisomy 21 (nondisjunction), translocation and mosaicism. Trisomy 21 (nondisjunction) accounts for 95% of known cases of Down syndrome.

What are 5 features recognized in a Down's syndrome individual?

People with Down syndrome may have some or all of these physical characteristics: a small chin, slanted eyes, poor muscle tone, a flat nasal bridge, a single crease of the palm, and a protruding tongue due to a small mouth and relatively large tongue.

Can you have Down syndrome and be smart?

scores for people with Down syndrome vary, with the average cognitive delays being mild to moderate, not severe. In fact, normal intelligence is possible.

Can a child have undiagnosed Down syndrome?

Approximately 15% of individuals diagnosed with Trisomy 21 Down syndrome are misdiagnosed and actually have mosaic Down syndrome. There are many individuals who are never diagnosed with this condition.

At what age does Down syndrome become evident?

Physical Examination. Down syndrome is usually quite evident as soon as a baby with the disorder is born, as many of its distinctive physical characteristics are present at birth.

Can Down's syndrome be missed?

About eight or nine out of 10 cases of Down syndrome are detected (classified as screen positive). This means that one or two out of 10 pregnancies with Down syndrome are missed (classified as screen negative).

Can Down syndrome people drive?

Many people with Down Syndrome lead independent lives, this includes being able to drive. If a person with Down syndrome can read and pass a driver's education class and pass a road test, then they can get a driver's license. Each case is independent and must be evaluated.

What is the longest someone with Down syndrome live?

Kenny Cridge, the world's oldest living man with Down's Syndrome, celebrated his 76th birthday recently with family, friends and cake. In 2008, the Guinness World Records who presented him with a certificate. In the 1940s the average life expectancy for people with Down's Syndrome was just 12 years old.

Does Down syndrome come from the mother or father?

To date, no behavioral activity of the parents or environmental factor is known to cause Down syndrome. After much research on these cell division errors, researchers know that: In the majority of cases, the extra copy of chromosome 21 comes from the mother in the egg.

How long does a female with Down syndrome live?

People with Down syndrome can expect to live to 60

In the 1940s, a child with Down syndrome had a life expectancy of 12 years. These days, their life expectancy is 60 years and a baby born with Down syndrome could live into their 80s — in line with the general population.

How people with Down syndrome see the world?

Research suggests that all children with Down syndrome experience impaired vision to varying degrees. Early detection, treatment and effective support are vital to minimize the impact of poor eyesight on development and learning.

Is Down syndrome obvious at birth?

When a baby is born with Down syndrome, our care providers can usually tell right away from some similar physical characteristics, such as eyes that slant upward, a single crease across their palm, and a large gap between their first and second toes.

Why do Down syndrome stick out tongue?

Children who have Down syndrome are often born with low oral muscle tone, and so you may in turn see difficulties with speech and feeding. Low oral tone can also contribute to drooling, weak suck, tongue protrusion, etc.

What are soft signs of Down's syndrome?

Soft markers for Down syndrome may include any of the following: enlarged brain ventricles (ventriculomegaly) smaller-than-normal or absent nasal bone. increased thickness of the nuchal fold.

What is the lowest Down syndrome risk?

The cut off is 1 in 150. This means that if your screening test results show a risk of between 1 in 2 to 1 in 150 that the baby has Down's syndrome, this is classified as a higher risk result. If the results show a risk of 1 in 151 or more, this is classified as a lower risk result.

What is the most common cause of death in Down syndrome?

Heart and lung diseases are the leading causes of death for persons with Down syndrome. Pneumonia and infectious lung disease, congenital heart defect (CHD) and circulatory disease (vascular diseases not including CHD or ischaemic heart disease) account for ∼75% of all deaths in persons with Down syndrome.

Who has the highest probability of having a child with Down syndrome?

Because the likelihood that an egg will contain an extra copy of chromosome 21 increases significantly as a woman ages, older women are much more likely than younger women to give birth to an infant with Down syndrome.