What happens to patients with trisomy 21?

In our daily life, we see some children who seem to have congenital dementia. It is very likely that this is caused by Trisomy 21. Trisomy 21 is different from general dementia. It is a disease caused by chromosomal abnormalities. The child is born with the disease and it is very difficult to cure. Let me introduce it to you today.

Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a disease caused by chromosomal abnormalities (an extra chromosome 21). 60% of the affected children are aborted in the early fetus, and the survivors have obvious intellectual disability, special facial features, growth and development disorders and multiple deformities.

The children have obvious special facial features, such as wide-set eyes, low nasal root, small palpebral fissures, upward slanting eyes, epicanthus, small external ears, fat tongue that often sticks out of the mouth, and excessive drooling. He is short in stature, with a smaller head circumference than normal, short front and back diameters of the head, and a flat head with a flat occipital region. Short neck and loose skin. Bone age often lags behind age, and tooth eruption is delayed and often misaligned. The hair is fine and sparse. The anterior fontanelle closes late, and a third fontanelle may appear in the midline of the parietal-occipital area.

Male Down syndrome babies will not be able to reproduce when they grow up to puberty. Female babies with Down syndrome will have menstruation when they grow up and may have children. Children with this disease often have other malformations such as congenital heart disease. Due to their low immune function, they are susceptible to various infections, and the incidence of leukemia is 10 to 30 times higher than normal. If they survive into adulthood, they often develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease after the age of 30.

Since children have low immunity, they should pay attention to preventing infection. If accompanied by congenital heart disease, gastrointestinal tract or other malformations, surgical correction may be considered.

If there is Trisomy 21, although some female babies will be able to have children when they grow up, this disease is likely to be inherited, so there is no need to mind having children. Moreover, these children are born with congenital malformations and will have other organ malformations, the most common of which are heart disease and mental retardation.