Down Syndrome

Down syndrome is set of mental and physical symptoms that result from having an extra copy of chromosome 21. Even though people with Down syndrome may have some physical and mental features in common, symptoms of Down syndrome can range from mild to severe. Usually, mental development and physical development are slower in people with Down syndrome than in those without it.

People with the syndrome may also have other health problems. They may be born with heart disease. They may have dementia. They may have hearing problems and problems with the intestines, eyes, thyroid and skeleton.

The chance of having a baby with Down syndrome increases as a woman gets older. Down syndrome cannot be cured. However, many people with Down syndrome live productive lives well into adulthood.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Syndrome on Wikipedia

In medicine, the term '''syndrome''' is the association of several clinically recognizable features, sign (medicine), symptoms, phenomena or characteristics which often occur together, so that the presence of one feature alerts the physician to the presence of the others. In recent decades the term has been used outside of medicine to refer to a combination of phenomena seen in association. The term ''syndrome'' derives from the Greek and means literally "run together," as the features do. The term ''syndrome'' is most often used when the reason that the features occur together (pathophysiology) has not yet been discovered. A familiar syndrome name often continues to be used even after an underlying cause has been found. Many syndromes are named after the physicians credited with first reporting the association; these are "eponym" syndromes.

Examples of eponymous syndromes

*Asperger's syndrome *Cushing's syndrome *Down syndrome *Klinefelter's syndrome *Turner syndrome *Zollinger-Ellison syndrome

Other syndromes

Otherwise, disease features or presumed causes, as well as references to geography, history or poetry, can lend their names to syndromes: * Atopic syndrome * Jerusalem syndrome * Occupational overuse syndrome * Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS) * Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) * Sick building syndrome * Stendhal syndrome

AIDS, a case study

A recent ''case study'' is AIDS (AIDS), so named as most syndromal immune deficiencies are either inborn or secondary to hematology. AIDS was originally termed "Gay Related Immune Disease" (or GRID), a name which was revised as the disease turned out to equally affect heterosexuals. Several years passed after the recognition of AIDS before HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) was first described, finally ... [ Read More ]

External Resources

IMDb: China Syndrome, The - Provides information about the cast and crew from this 1979 film about a reporter discovering a hazard cover up at a nuclear power plant.

History: The China Syndrome - Features plot synopsis, cast, crew, and information concerning the real events behind the movie.

Rottentomatoes: The China Syndrome - Reviews from the critics and audiences, plot synopsis, cast, crew, tidbits, and rating information.

Critique of The China Syndrome - The Nuclear Energy Institute reviews the China Syndrome film based on facts and figures from a real incident at Three Mile Island.

Up Syndrome - Follows a year in the life of a man with Down syndrome. Synopsis, Rene Moreno's biography, credits, images, review excerpts, and links.

Herman Yau - Hong Kong director of The Untold Story, Ebola Syndrome, the Troublesome Night series, and From the Queen to the Chief Executive.

Sleeping Beauty Syndrome - Series of short films about suicide, by Andrew Barranca. Information, actors, video clips, and filmmaker biography.

Transparent Hair Syndrome - Fan art, image gallery, profile, downloads, and links.

Kurama's Territory - Shrine with character profile, images, poll, links, "Kurama Syndrome," fan works and other character highlights.

Afraid to Look Down - Actor/playwright Cullen Douglas' solo play about the journey he took in becoming a first-time father to his oldest son born with Down syndrome.

Related Pages on HealthTales.com:

Asperger's Syndrome
Behcet's Syndrome
Cushing's Syndrome
Fragile X Syndrome
Klinefelter's Syndrome
Marfan Syndrome
Metabolic Syndrome
Premenstrual Syndrome
Rett Syndrome
Reye Syndrome