Down Syndrome and its Medical Complications

Though down syndrome is often associated with intellectual and developmental disabilities children with down syndrome have a higher risk of certain other health problems. It must be noted that each child with down syndrome is unique and not all of them will have serious health problems. Quite often their conditions can be treated with     surgery, medication and other interventions.

Lets look at some of the conditions that can occur often amongst children with down syndrome.

· Heart Defects: Almost half of children with down syndrome have congential heart disease which is the most common type of birth defect. This can lead to high blood pressure in the lungs and problems with the pumping blood to the heart. Some can be treated with medication but others need surgery.

· Vision Problems: More than half of children with down syndrome have problems with their vision including cataracts. The risk of this increases with age. Some other eye problems that children with down syndrome may face are near sightedness, rapid involuntary eye movements and crossed eyes.

· Hearing Loss: About three quarters of children with down syndrome have issues with hearing. This may be related to the structural problems with the ear. Inherited hearing problems can be corrected. Children with down syndrome often get ear infections which should be treated quickly to prevent hearing loss.

· Hypothyroidism: The thyroid is a gland used to make hormones the body uses to regulate things like temperature and energy. This can be solved by taking the thyroid hormone through the mouth. There should be a thyroid examination at birth, every 6 months and every year throughout the child’s life span.

· Blood Disorders: Children with down syndrome are more likely to contract leukemia which is cancer of the white blood cells. Treatment is important and can include chemotherapy. Children with down syndrome are more likely to contract anemia (low iron in the blood) and polycythemia (high red blood cell levels) among other blood disorders.

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Hypotonia: This is when poor muscle tone and strength make it difficult to roll, sit, crawl and walk. Poor muscle tone and combined with a tendency for the tongue to stick out can cause problems in feeding. Poor muscle strength can also cause other problems with the digestive system from swallowing problems to constipation.

Now lets look at some interventions we can use to help with down syndrome related symptoms.

1.     Physical Therapy: This relates to exercises that increase muscle strength, build motor skills and improve posture and balance. Physical therapists can help children with down syndrome learn to develop themselves by doing activities like developing walking patterns.

2.     Speech Language Therapy: This can help children with down syndrome use language more effectively and better their communication skills. Speech therapists can help children to use other means of communication such as sign languages and picture till the child can learn to speak.

3.     Occupational Therapy: This helps in finding ways to adjust every day tasks and conditions to help match a persons abilities and needs. This includes elements like getting dresses, eating, using a computer and writing. At a higher level occupational therapists can help teenagers with finding careers, job and skills that match their interests and strengths.

4.     Emotional and Behavioral Therapy: This is used to give useful responses on positive and negative behaviors. Therapists for these elements can help to identify why a child is acting up and develop ways to create strategies to avoid or prevent compulsive behaviors, ADHD and other mental issues. A psychologist can help a child deal with emotions, coping strategies and interpersonal skills. Behavior therapists can also teenagers dealing with aggression by recognizing these emotions and teach these teenagers how to reach a feeling of calmness.

5.     Drugs and Supplements: Children with down syndrome can take amino acid or drugs which effect their brain activity.

Clearly there are many aspects to down syndrome’s complications that all have their own individual effects and with the right mind set parents can help identify issues early and respond to them in a timely manner to help improve the living standards of down syndrome related concerns in children. There are plenty of different kinds of interventions that can be used to help to continue to support the development of down syndrome effected children and teens.