World Down Syndrome Day is observed every year on March 21 to raise awareness and promote the inclusion and well-being of individuals with Down Syndrome.
It is a genetic disorder that occurs when there is an abnormality in the number of chromosomes in an individual's cells. It is a state in which a person has an extra copy of chromosome 21.
1. Down Syndrome is the most frequent chromosomal disorder. It occurs in approximately 1 in 700 births.
2. The average life expectancy of an individual with Down Syndrome today is 60. Back in the 1960s, it was 10 years.
3. Down Syndrome is named after John Langdon Down, a British doctor who first published a clinical description in 1862.
4. Down Syndrome was initially referred to as “mongolism” until Down Syndrome became the official name in the 1970s.
5. The incidence of Down Syndrome increases with maternal age over 35 years.
6. Down Syndrome is not considered hereditary, since only 1% of cases show the condition passing from parent to child.