Causes of death in children with Down syndrome

I believe that many people who are not mothers have never heard of Down syndrome. The so-called Down syndrome children have extremely low intelligence, special appearance, stagnation of growth and development, cannot take care of themselves, and always need care from their family. They also have low immunity and a low survival rate. It is a sad thing for a family to have a child with Down syndrome, but there is still a certain chance of avoiding it, and that is to have regular physical examinations during pregnancy and do Down syndrome screening. What I want to talk about today is the causes of death of children with Down syndrome.

"Children with Down syndrome" are caused by an abnormal number of chromosomes carrying genetic genes. It occurs accidentally and randomly. Every healthy couple cannot rule out this potential risk. It occurs without any signs, family history, or clear history of exposure to poisons. "Down syndrome babies" may suffer from neonatal asphyxia or death during delivery; in infancy, they cannot drink milk and are prone to respiratory infections and die from high fever. Even if they survive, they usually have congenital intellectual disabilities and are often accompanied by congenital heart disease, microcephaly, cleft lip, cleft palate, anus and other congenital malformations. There is currently no effective treatment for this disease.

Infants and young children often suffer from repeated respiratory infections, and those with congenital heart disease often die early as a result.

The immune function is low and they are susceptible to various infections. The incidence of leukemia is 10 to 30 times higher than normal. If they survive into adulthood, they often develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease after the age of 30.

Deaths are mainly caused by complications, some of which are fatal:

1. Malformations of digestive organs, such as congenital esophageal atresia, duodenal stenosis, anal locking, etc.

2. Congenital heart disease: The prevalence rate is as high as 40%. In particular, the proportion of endocardial insufficiency is relatively high, which is usually fatal if not treated early.

3. Cataracts, with a prevalence rate of 2%.

4. Acute leukemia, with a prevalence rate of 1%.

5. Indirect instability of the annulus axis, with a prevalence rate of 2-3%.

6. Thyroid disease, with a prevalence rate of 3%.

7: Nodding epilepsy, with a prevalence rate of 10%.

8: Transient myelodysplasia.

9. Eye abnormalities: myopia, hyperopia, asymphopia, etc. caused by abnormalities of the cornea and lens.

10: Effusion otitis media can easily cause fluid accumulation in the inner ear, leading to otitis and affecting hearing.