DOWN SYNDROMEBy: Dalee Stene and Joey Schnetter pd. 4

Background/History

• Where: England•When: 1866•How: Down found out by research that some people had 47 chromosomes instead of 46.•Named: After the man who discovered it; John Langdon Down

What Happens to Those Who Have it?• Symptoms: Short height, wide neck, weak muscles, short

arms and legs, slanted eyes, nasal bridge looks pushed in, small ears, irregular shaped mouth and tongue, intellectual disability, heart defects, and depression• Life Expectancy: It varies from person to person• Is There a Cure: no• How Do You Know If You Have It: Doctors have to run tests on the person to figure out their number of chromosomes

How Is It Passed On?

• Usually it is not inherited, but occurs at a random event in the formation of the reproductive cells in the parent.

• It is not related to race, religion, etc.• It usually happens in the egg rather than

the sperm and it happens before conception• This disease can happen to anyone

Interesting Facts

• Down Syndrome happens in every 1 out of 800 live births

• There are three types of Down Syndromes: Nondisjunction (95%), Mosaicism (1%-2%), and Translocation (2%-3%)

• Lauren Potter, from the show Glee, is diagnosed with Down Syndrome

Works Cited

• WebMD, LLC. 2005. http://children.webmd.com/tc/down-syndrome- symptoms

• March of Dimes Foundation. 2013. http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/birthdefects_downsyndrome.html?gclid=CO2Bso6nsbUCFSNqMgodoC4AaA

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Genetic Science Learning Center. "Down Syndrome." Learn.Genetics20 February 2013 <http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/disorders/whataregd/down/>