lds at the inner corner of the eyes, depressed nasal bridge, slightly smaller ears, small mouth, decreased muscle tone, loose ligaments, and small hands and feet. About fifty percent of all children have a gap between the first and second toes. The physical features observed in children with Down syndrome usually do not cause any disability in the child. Although many theories have been developed, it is not known what actually causes Down syndrome. It has been known for some time that the risk of having a child with Down syndrome increases with advancing age of the mother; i.e., the older the mother, the greater the possibility that she may have a child with Down syndrome. However, most babies with Down syndrome are born to mothers younger than 35 years. Some investigators reported that older fathers may also be at an increased risk of having a child with Down syndrome. Parents who have a child with Down syndrome have an increased risk of having another child with Down syndrome in future pregnancies. The child with Down syndrome is in need of the same kind of medical care as any other child. The pediatrician or family physician should provide general health maintenance, immunizations, attend to medical emergencies, and offer support and counseling to the family. There are, however, situations when children with Down syndrome need special attention. Forty to Forty-five percent of children with Down syndrome have congenital heart disease. Many of these children will have to undergo cardiac surgery and often will need long term care. Children with Down syndrome often have more eye problems than other children who do not have this chromosome disorder. For example, 3 percent of infants with Down syndrome have cataracts. They need to be removed surgically. Other eye problems such as cross-eye, near-sightedness, far-sightedness and other eye conditions are frequently observed in children with Down syndrome.Although many medications and various...
