• Question: what is down cyndrome??

    Asked by th3sw33n3y to Alastair, Emma, Hywel, Keith, Vicki on 18 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Alastair Sloan

      Alastair Sloan answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      Down’s syndrome is a chromosomal disorder where person has an extra chromosone 21 or an extra part of chromosome 21. It’s named after the person who first described the condition back in the 1800s. People with Down’s syndrome tend to have developmental disorders and problems with learning and growth. They may also have physical symptoms such has an abnormally small chin and a round face

    • Photo: Keith Brain

      Keith Brain answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      Down’s Syndrome is a genetic condition (a problem with your DNA, which contains the genes) where the person affected has an extra chromosome. A chromosone is a tightly coiled package of an enormous length of DNA. We should have 2 copies of each of our 23 chromosomes, but in Down’s Syndrome they have an extra copy of Chromosome 21. You might think that having an extra copy is a bonus, but the extra gene copies just seem to get in the way. Children with Down’s syndrome generally don’t do well in school, have a characteristic appearance, and a whole set of medical problems, but they often have very positive and pleasant personalities. Their life expectancy is much shorter than for other people. There are tests that can be performed to work out whether the baby might have Down’s Syndrome, and these are recommended for older mothers (because the risk of having a baby with Downs Syndrome is higher for older mothers).

    • Photo: Vicki Stevenson

      Vicki Stevenson answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Hi
      humans have 23 pairs of chromosones, people with downs syndrome have a damaged chromosone. This results in physical and mental problems.

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