Down syndrome in the Cape Peninsula and the value of amniocentesis as a preventive measure.
The increase in the incidence of babies with Down syndrome born to women of advanced maternal age has been well documented. Similarly, the social and financial implications of a decision to institutionalize or to keep the children at home have also been well covered in the literature. A 3-year study of this problem included babies with Down syndrome who were born in the Cape Peninsula hospitals, referred to the Department of Human Genetics, University of Cape Town, and proved chromosomally to have trisomy-21. The findings are presented and discussed.
D001741:Black or African American; D000649:Amniocentesis; D044383:Black People; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D013019:South Africa; D044465:White People