Who is affected by Down syndrome

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Who is affected by Down syndrome

Down syndrome occurs in all cultures, ethnic groups, socioeconomic levels, and geographic locations.

• About 1,950 babies in the United States were born with Down syndrome in 2004.¹ That's about 1 out of every 600 births.²
• Trisomy 21 is the most common type of Down syndrome, accounting for about 95% of all cases.³
• The risk of a 20-year-old woman having a baby with trisomy 21-type Down syndrome is 1 in about 2,000. By age 45, a woman's risk for having a child with this type of Down syndrome is 1 in 20.⁴

References

Citations

1. Martin JA, et al. (2006). Births: Final data for 2004. National Vital Statistics Reports, 55(1): 1–31.

2. Elias ER, et al. (2007). Chromosomal disorders: Abnormal number section of Genetics and dysmorphology. In WW Hay et al., eds., Current Pediatric Diagnosis and Treatment, 18th ed., pp. 1031–1032. New York: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill.

3. Hall JG (2004). Chromosomal clinical abnormalities. In RE Behrman et al., eds., Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 17th ed., chap. 70, pp. 382–390. Philadelphia: Saunders.

4. Roizen NJ (2002). Down syndrome. In ML Batshaw, ed., Children with Disabilities, 5th ed., chap. 16, pp. 307–320. Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks Publishing.

Credits

Last updated:	August 09, 2007
Author:	Debby Golonka, MPH
Reviewed By:	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine, David Smith, MD - Family Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC