When the desired pregnancy finally comes, it is a real holiday. Having waited for two strips on the test, future parents feel inspired and happy, but with time they also feel certain fears. In particular, one of them is worries about the health of the child.
Many prospective parents often ask why babies with Down syndrome can be born. And are there ways to prevent this pathology?
Let’s figure out who these “sunny” children are.
Congenital syndrome
First of all, it is necessary to understand that any congenital syndrome, including also Down syndrome, is not a disease, and therefore its treatment is impossible. Syndrome is the cumulative number of a number of symptoms that are caused by various pathological changes in the body. A large number of congenital syndromes are hereditary, but Down syndrome stands out from this list, being an exception. He got his name thanks to the doctor who first described him in 1866 (John Langdon Down). How many chromosomes are down? About it below.
What caused?
This syndrome is caused by tripling of the twenty-first chromosome. A person normally has twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, but in some cases a malfunction occurs, and instead of the twenty-first pair three chromosomes appear. It is the very extra chromosome, that is, the forty-seventh, is the cause of this pathology. This fact was established only in 1959 by the scientist Jerome Lejeune.
People with Down syndrome are called "sunny children." Who they are is interesting to many. The genetic anomaly, which consists in the presence of an extra chromosome, distinguishes them from others. The term “sunny” is not without reason fixed for such children, since they are characterized by special cheerfulness, they are very affectionate and at the same time obedient. But at the same time, to some extent, they have a developmental delay in the mental and physical planes. Their IQ levels range from twenty to seventy-four points, while most healthy adults have between ninety and one hundred and ten. Why are healthy parents born down children?
Reasons for the birth of children with Down syndrome
In the world for seven hundred to eight hundred children, there is one child with Down syndrome. Babies with such a diagnosis are often refused in the hospital, around the world the number of such "refuseniks" is eighty-five percent. It is worth noting that in some countries it is not customary to abandon mentally retarded children, including Down syndrome. So, in Scandinavia, in principle, there are no such statistics, while in Europe and the USA they refuse only five percent. It is interesting that in these countries there is generally a practice of adopting “sunny” children. For example, in America, two hundred and fifty families are waiting in line for babies with Down Syndrome.
We have already determined that the "solar" children (who they are, we explained) have an extra chromosome. However, when is it formed? This anomaly appears mainly in the ovum when it is located in the ovary. Due to some factors, its chromosomes do not diverge, and when this egg is subsequently merged with the sperm, an “irregular” zygote forms, and then the embryo and fetus develop from it.
This can happen due to genetic reasons, if all the eggs / sperm or a certain number of them contain an extra chromosome from birth.
If we are talking about healthy people, then, for example, in the UK, one of the factors affecting genetic error is considered to be egg aging, which occurs along with the woman’s age. That is why special methods are being developed that promote egg rejuvenation.
Characteristic of "sunny" children
In terms of appearance, children with Down syndrome have symptoms such as:
- slanting eyes;
- wide and flat language;
- broad lips;
- rounded head shape;
- narrow forehead;
- fused earlobe;
- slightly shortened little finger;
- wider and shorter feet and hands compared to ordinary children.
How many years do people with Down syndrome live? Life expectancy is directly dependent on the severity of the manifestations of the syndrome and social conditions. If a person does not have heart disease, serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and immune disorders, he will be able to survive to 65 years.
Amazing character
"Solar" children have an amazing and unique character. From a very early age they are distinguished by activity, restlessness, mischief and extraordinary love of mind. They are always very funny, it is difficult to focus on specific things. However, there are no complaints about their sleep and appetite. Parents can complain about something else: it is quite difficult to deal with such a child on a visit or on the street because of his activity and constant demand for attention to himself; he is very noisy, restless. It’s hard for a baby with trisomy on chromosome 21 to explain anything. The usual methods of upbringing on such children are ineffective, it is impossible to scold them, because the opposite reaction will follow: either self-closure occurs, or behavior becomes even worse.
Can handle
However, you can cope with any situations. With such a child, the most important thing is to be able to choose an approach to it. Excessive energy and mischief must be spent and used in the right way. This requires as much as possible to play outdoor games, more often to be on the street so that the child can run more. No need to control it too much, prohibit many things or find fault with trifles. Once the energy of the young child is slightly reduced, he will begin to listen more to his parents and begin to play developing, calm games.
If the necessary efforts are made, then the “sunny” children can even go to a simple kindergarten and school, having previously prepared for this in a specially designed correctional school. Some do get professional education. Perhaps the most important thing is to give them in childhood a sufficient amount of warmth, love, affection and care. They are very loving and strongly attached to their parents. Without this, they will not be able to survive in the literal sense of the word. How many chromosomes are down, described above.
Who can have “sunny” children?
Scientists still can not find the reasons that provoke a malfunction in genetics and cause the development of Down syndrome. It is believed that this arises due to absolute randomness. A child with a similar syndrome can be born regardless of what kind of lifestyle his parents lead, although many people are often sure that such a pathology is the result of unacceptable behavior of the mother during pregnancy. In fact, everything is different.
The likelihood of having a child with Down syndrome is not reduced even in the family whose members adhere to the principles of an exceptionally healthy lifestyle. That is why it is only possible to answer the question of why such children are born to normal parents: an accidental genetic malfunction occurred. Neither the mother nor the father is to blame for the appearance of this pathology. Why children with Down syndrome are called solar, we now know.
Probability
It is worth noting that in healthy parents, children with Down syndrome are still rarely born. However, there are groups of people who are more at risk than others.
A “sunny” child is most likely to appear:
- for those parents whose age exceeds forty-five years for the father and thirty-five for the mother;
- in the presence in the family of one of the parents of children with Down syndrome;
- marriage between close relatives. Diagnosis of Down syndrome during pregnancy is now ongoing.
Of greatest interest is the fact that in a healthy marriage, perfectly healthy parents may have a “sunny” child due to the influence of their age. What is the reason for this? The fact is that up to twenty-five years a woman can give birth to a child with this deviation with a probability equal to 1: 1400. Up to thirty years, this can happen to one woman in a thousand. At thirty-five, there is a sharp increase in this risk to 1: 350, after forty-two years - 1:60, and, finally, after forty-nine years - to 1:12.
Judging by statistics, eighty percent of children with this pathology are born to mothers who have not reached the thirty-year mark. However, this is due to the fact that up to thirty more women give birth than after.
Increase in the age of women in labor
Currently, there is a tendency to increase the age of women in childbirth. But we must remember that even if a woman looks beautiful at thirty-five and is actively engaged in her own career, her biological age will still work against her. Nowadays, rarely does anyone look at their age, since the female half of the population has learned to look after themselves very well. It is clear that this time is the most suitable in order to lead an exciting, active, eventful life, to travel, build a career, start a relationship, love. However, genetic material, as well as female germ cells, is steadily aging after a woman reaches the age of twenty-five. In addition, nature provides that over time there is a decrease in a woman's ability to conceive and give birth.
It is worth noting that the risk of having a child with deviations is high not only in this category of mothers, but also in too young women in labor who are under the age of sixteen.
The development of Down Syndrome is not affected by the sex of the child, and this pathology with the same probability can occur in both girls and boys. However, modern science can predict the birth of a child with such a syndrome even in the womb, when there is a choice: leave it or get rid of pregnancy, and parents can decide for themselves.
We figured out who these “sunny” children are.
Celebrities
There is an opinion that people with Down syndrome can neither study, nor work, nor achieve success in life. But this opinion is erroneous. Among the "children of the sun" there are many talented actors, artists, athletes and educators. Some celebrities with Down Syndrome are listed below.
Pablo Pineda is a world-famous Spanish actor and teacher. Pascal Duchenne is a theater and film actor. The paintings of the American artist with Down Syndrome Raymond Hu cause delight among connoisseurs. Masha Langovaya - a Russian athlete, became the world champion in swimming.