Understanding Down Syndrome: Myths, Facts, & Awareness

Have you Understanding Down syndrome or specially-abled children? We live in a normal world, where most of the people around us are born healthy, that builds a misconception in our mind that, everyone is born normal & healthy.

But that’s not the complete truth, as there are several health conditions that people are born with, that make them “Specially Abled Kids”.

While talking about Specially Abled Kids, the most faced health condition is Down syndrome.

There’s a Down syndrome awareness fact that, out of 700 babies born, there will be 1 baby born with Down syndrome health condition.

In this blog, we are going to discuss everything about Down syndrome awareness from talking about what causes Down syndrome to is this health condition treatable or not.

If you are someone who wants to know about Down syndrome or have someone with this health condition around you, then it’s a must-read blog for you.

Understanding Down Syndrome : Exploring the basics

In medical language down syndrome is one such disorder which is caused by the availability of an extra copy of chromosome 21.

In short, there are a total of 46 chromosomes in the human body which make the natural or normal combination of chromosomes, while when we talk about a child with Down syndrome they will have an additional set of chromosomes that makes the total of 47 chromosomes in their body that leads to this health condition.

Another Down syndrome awareness fact is that this health condition is also known as Trisomy 21.

Because of this additional gene in the body, the overall course of development is changed and all this leads to several physical changes, characteristic changes, health complications, and overall intellectual disabilities as well.

You would able to notice that a Down syndrome health condition children will not have a normal growth rate, they will have short height, and look like they are younger than their age.

What Causes Down Syndrome and its Types:

Trisomy 21:

This type of Down syndrome issue takes place when every cell available in the body has 3 additions of chromosome 21 instead of 2 which is the normal case.

Here’s another Down syndrome awareness fact, Trisomy 21 is one of the most common forms of Down syndrome, which is 94-95% of total cases of Down syndrome throughout the world.

Mosaic Down Syndrome:

Under this type of Down syndrome an issue with the cell division after fertilization takes place, where only a few cells get two copies of chromosome 21, while the rest of the cell divisions have 2 copies of chromosomes.

Down syndrome awareness fact, mosaic Down syndrome is considered as the rarest form of Down syndrome that is usually noticed in 1-2% of cases only.

Translocation Down Syndrome:

In this type of Down syndrome, one chromosome from a cell division breaks down and gets connected to another cell division. This makes the copy of 3 chromosomes in it and disrupts the combination.

Down syndrome awareness fact, translocation Down syndrome has a very low percentage of cases which are around 3-4%. 

This was all about the genetic origins of Down syndrome along with its three types. However, there are several Down syndrome awareness facts that you should know to precisely understand this health condition and how people react to this condition.

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Top Understanding Down Syndrome Awareness Facts

Down syndrome is one such health issue that has several untouched sections. And with this Down syndrome awareness facts section, we would like to cover those factors to enhance Down syndrome awareness.

Down Syndrome Awareness Fact 1:

Most people think that Down syndrome is one such health condition that is only faced by humans, but the actual fact is Down syndrome occurs in every human and animal. However, in animals as well this health issue leads to similar symptoms such as no proper body structure build-up, and the inability to think like an adult.

Down Syndrome Awareness Fact 2:

It has been noticed that the chances of birth of a child with Down syndrome increase with the age of the mother. However, with the higher rate of fertility in younger women, more than 51% of children are born to women who are of age less than 36 years.

Down Syndrome Awareness Fact 3:

As we have already discussed people with Down syndrome have an increased risk of various health and medical conditions.

Some of the major health conditions faced by people with Down syndrome are heart defects, respiratory issues, hearing problems, Alzheimer’s disease, and thyroid issues. Although most of these health issues are treatable.

But in the case of people with Down syndrome they tend to get in touch with a medical condition easily because of their low immunity.

Down Syndrome Awareness Fact 4:

You might not be aware of the fact that the life expectancy of people with Down syndrome was 25 in 1983.

But as things have improved we have come across the treatment of various health issues faced by people with Down syndrome, the life expectancy has increased to 60 years in today’s world. 

Down Syndrome Awareness Fact 5:

It is mostly believed that people with Down syndrome cannot go to school, study, go to the office, or have meaningful relationships.

But, if you look outside there are a number of people with Down syndrome who are able to live a normal life, go to the office, study, and have relationships as well. However, this is all because of the care taken by their parents.

Down Syndrome Awareness Myths

Down syndrome awareness Myth 1:

Most people think that Down syndrome is one of the rarest disorders that one can face, but in reality, it is one of the most commonly faced chromosomal conditions.

In the United States, only more than 5100 births take place with Down syndrome health conditions.

Down syndrome awareness myth 2:

There are people who consider Down syndrome as a hereditary health issue, but not every type of Down syndrome issue comprises a hereditary component in them.

It has been noticed that translocation Down syndrome is a type of Down syndrome that has a hereditary component in it.

Down syndrome awareness myth 3:

Previously there was no support provided to Down syndrome kid’s parents. But right now there are several communities all over the world that are there to help them out with any issue.

This was a huge myth that there is no support available for the parents of Down syndrome kids.

But it’s also a myth, as you can directly get in contact with parents through social media and offline communities.

Down syndrome awareness myth 4:

Several people think that people with Down syndrome have an increased risk for medical conditions, which is true up to a certain extent.

But as the medical field is growing they have offered several advancements and medicines that help people with Down syndrome in living a happy and healthy life.

Conclusion

This was all about a few guides that will help in enhancing Down syndrome awareness and making people understand that they also have the right to live their lives on easier terms.

Most people used to build a gap between them and people with Down syndrome. But we hope with this guide we would be able to reduce that gap between them and lead to a positive change.