children s health issues
Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21)
Symptoms of Down Syndrome
In Down syndrome, physical and mental development is typically delayed. Children with Down syndrome are often short and are at increased risk of becoming obese. Infants with Down syndrome tend to be placid and passive and do not cry as often as expected. Many infants are born with heart and gastrointestinal defects, and they have somewhat limp muscles. They tend to have a small head and a face that is broad and flat with a short nose. There may be extra skin around the back of the neck (nuchal folds). However, some newborns do not have obvious characteristic facial features at birth and then develop noticeable characteristic facial features during infancy. Typical physical features of people with Down syndrome include the following: The eyes slant upward at the edges, and skin of the upper eyelid covers the inner corner of the eye (epicanthal fold). The tongue is sometimes large. The larger tongue plus low facial muscle tone frequently causes children to hold their mouth open. The ears are small, rounded, and set low in the head. The hands are typically short and broad, with a single crease across the palm. The fingers are short, and the fifth finger, which often has two instead of three sections, curves inward. The space between the first and second toes may also be widened (sandal-gap toes). This photo shows extra skin around the back of the neck in a baby who has Down syndrome. © Springer Science+Business Media This photo shows a single crease extending across the palm (arrow) in a newborn. RALPH C. EAGLE, JR./SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY This photo shows a child with Down syndrome with a flattened bridge of the nose, upslanting eyes, and skin of the upper eyelid covering the inner corners of the eyes (epicanthal folds). © Springer Science+Business Media The intelligence quotient (IQ) among children with Down syndrome varies but averages about 50, compared with children in the general population, whose average IQ is 100. Children with Down syndrome often have delays in developing motor and language skills, but this is variable. Behavior suggestive of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often seen in childhood. Children with Down syndrome are at greater risk of autistic behavior, especially those with severe There is an increased risk of Depression and 