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Who Is Affected by Down Syndrome

Down syndrome occurs in all cultures, ethnic groups, socioeconomic levels, and geographic locations.

  • About 1 out of 733 babies born in the U.S. has Down syndrome.2
  • The risk of a 20-year-old woman having a baby with trisomy 21-type Down syndrome is 1 in about 2,000. By age 45, a woman's risk for having a child with this type of Down syndrome is 1 in 20.1

Citations

  1. Roizen NJ (2007). Down syndrome. In ML Batshaw et al., eds., Children with Disabilities, 6th ed., pp. 263-273. Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks Publishing.

  2. Smith RP (2008). Down syndrome. In Netter's Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2nd ed., pp. 410-412. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier.

ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical ReviewerSusan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics
Specialist Medical ReviewerLouis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
Last RevisedJuly 20, 2011

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: July 20, 2011
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.

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