SkipCaptcha
175
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 1:
Line 1: − + +
Part about the original description rewritten, according to ORIGINAL SOURCE
'''Down syndrome''' (also written as '''Down's syndrome''', technical name '''Trisomy 21'''<ref>http://www.ds-health.com/trisomy.htm</ref>) is a genetic disorder caused by an extra copy of [[chromosome]] 21. The greatest risk factor for having a child with Down syndrome is increased maternal (and, to a lesser extent, paternal) age.
'''Down syndrome''' (also written as '''Down's syndrome''', technical name '''Trisomy 21'''<ref>http://www.ds-health.com/trisomy.htm</ref>) is a genetic disorder caused by an extra copy of [[chromosome]] 21. The greatest risk factor for having a child with Down syndrome is increased maternal (and, to a lesser extent, paternal) age.
The name comes from [[British]] [[physician]] [[John Langdom Down]], who described the syndrome in [[1862]]. Down named the condition '''mongolism''' because the external appearance of its sufferers resembled that of the [[Mongolian]] race (one of the five racial classifications commonly used at the time). Currently, the terms "mongolism" and "mongoloid" are considered offensive.
The name comes from [[British]] [[physician]] [[John Langdom Down]], who described the syndrome in his [[1862]] paper, "Observations on an Ethnic Classification of Idiots". Down conjectured that the syndrome was a "degeneracy" of [[caucasians]] to [[mongols]] (the [[mongolian]] race was one of the five racial classifications commonly used at the time), and the term '''mongolism''' was inpired by his paper. Currently, the terms "mongolism" and "mongoloid" are considered offensive. <!-- reference:
http://www.neonatology.org/classics/down.html, original paper //-->
The most important medical aspect of Down syndrome is [[mental retardation]]. Individuals with Down syndrome have mild to severe mental retardation. It is impossible to reliably predict what the eventual level of function of a child with Down syndrome will be.
The most important medical aspect of Down syndrome is [[mental retardation]]. Individuals with Down syndrome have mild to severe mental retardation. It is impossible to reliably predict what the eventual level of function of a child with Down syndrome will be.