Question
What are the symptoms of a child with Down syndrome?
Answer
The symptoms of Down syndrome primarily manifest as developmental delays and facial features abnormalities. For example, children may experience intellectual development delays, unique facial features (such as eyes that slant upwards, wide eye spacing, and a low nasal bridge), and physical structural abnormalities (such as heart defects and low muscle tone). However, in the womb, the fetus with Down syndrome typically does not show any abnormal signs, and the mother does not feel any different. Therefore, it is necessary to use specialized Down syndrome screening or NT (fetal nuchal translucency) examination to detect this condition. The NT examination is performed by measuring the thickness of the fetal nuchal translucency through ultrasound; if the measurement result is below 3 millimeters, it usually indicates a possible adverse fetal outcome. Routine Down syndrome screening requires taking 2 milliliters of blood samples from a vein between weeks 14 to 18 of pregnancy for testing. If the serum screening results are positive, further amniocentesis examination is needed to confirm the diagnosis and develop solutions. The impact of Down syndrome on children is significant, so parents should take their children to a regular hospital for medical consultation as soon as they notice any symptoms.