Down Syndrome
Q. What is Down Syndrome?
A. Down syndrome is the most common disorder of human chromosomes. It is a genetic disorder that is usually diagnosed shortly after birth, but it can be detected through prenatal testing.
Q. Who is at greatest risk for Down syndrome?
A. The following groups of parents are at greatest risk for having a child with this genetic disorder: parents who have already had a baby with Down syndrome, mothers or fathers who have an anomaly involving chromosome 21, and mothers over 35 years old.For more information about Down syndrome, call the U-M Women's Health Resource Center at 734-4936-8886, or learn more from UofMHealth.org's Health Library.
Reading List
The DNA Mystique: The Gene as a Cultural Icon (Conversations in Medicine and Society), by Dorothy Nelkin and M. Susan Lindee
Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic, by Martha Beck
Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications, by Ricki Lewis
Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body, by Armand and Marie Leroi
This article appeared in the April/May 05 issue of the Women's Health Newsletter. Read the issue.
