Do People With Down Syndrome Have A Lower Quality Of Life?

However, with appropriate medical care most children and adults with Down syndrome

can lead healthy lives

. The average life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome is 60 years, with many living into their sixties and seventies.

How does Down syndrome affect a person's quality of life?

Children with Down syndrome have a higher incidence of infection, respiratory, vision and hearing problems as well as thyroid and other medical conditions. However, with appropriate medical care most children and adults with Down syndrome can

lead healthy lives

.

Does Down syndrome affect the quality of life?

Lifespan has increased markedly for

persons with Down syndrome. In 1900 life expectancy was around 9-11 years. It is now above 50 years with 1:10 living to 70 years of age (Baird & Sadovnick, 1987).

What kind of quality of life can a child with Down syndrome expect?

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.

Can someone with Down syndrome have normal intelligence?

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

normal intelligence is possible

. If a person with Down syndrome has difficulty with hearing, it can be misinterpreted as a problem with understanding.

Who is most likely to get Downs?

Women who are 35 years or older when they become pregnant

are more likely to have a pregnancy affected by Down syndrome than women who become pregnant at a younger age. However, the majority of babies with Down syndrome are born to mothers less than 35 years old, because there are many more births among younger women.

Can a child with Down syndrome look normal?

People with

Down syndrome all look the same

. There are certain physical characteristics that can occur. People with Down syndrome can have all of them or none. A person with Down syndrome will always look more like his or her close family than someone else with the condition.

What is life expectancy for Down syndrome?

Today, the average life expectancy of a person with Down syndrome is

nearly 60 years

and continuing to climb.

What gender is Down syndrome most common in?

Down syndrome appears to be more common among

boys than girls

, the study indicates. The condition is also seen more frequently in Hispanic children at birth, though the number of these children appears to level off with that of white children as they age. Black children appear less likely to have Down syndrome.

What famous person has Down syndrome?

What increases your chances of having a baby with Down syndrome?

A woman's chances of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome increase with age because older eggs have a greater risk of improper chromosome division. A woman's risk of conceiving a child with Down syndrome increases

after 35 years of age

.

Is Down syndrome a disability?

The extra chromosome affects the way the child's brain and body develop, leading to developmental delays, intellectual disability and an increased risk for certain medical issues. Down syndrome is

the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability

, affecting approximately 1 in every 700 children.

Can father's age cause Down syndrome?

July 1, 2003 — Older fathers may contribute just as much as older mothers to the dramatic increase in Down syndrome risk faced by babies born to older couples. A new study found that older fathers were responsible for up to 50

%

of the rise in Down syndrome risk when the mother was also over 40.

Can stress cause Down syndrome?

Down syndrome, which arises from a

chromosome defect

, is likely to have a direct link with the increase in stress levels seen in couples during the time of conception, say Surekha Ramachandran, founder of Down Syndrome Federation of India, who has been studying about the same ever since her daughter was diagnosed with …

What are signs of Down syndrome during pregnancy?

• Flat face with an upward slant to the eyes.
• Short neck.
• Abnormally shaped or small ears.
• Protruding tongue.
• Small head.
• Deep crease in the palm of the hand with relatively short fingers.
• White spots in the iris of the eye.
• Poor muscle tone, loose ligaments, excessive flexibility.

Do Down syndrome babies cry differently?

Just like any baby, infants who have

Down syndrome will sometimes be fussy

. The temperament of a baby with Down syndrome is not usually any different from the temperament of any other baby.