Retrospective analysis of live birth prevalence of  children with Down syndrome in Denizli, Turkey.
Down syndrome (DS) is the most frequent chromosome  abnormality among live births. Its prevalence increases with maternal age, and  can be diagnosed by antenatal screening. We examined prevalence variations of  DS in Denizli, Turkey, through a retrospective study. Sixteen years of survey  data were retrieved from the two main state hospital registries from records  between 1994 and 2010. We identified 113 DS live births in Denizli for 16  years. The prevalence of DS was 9.07 per 10,000 live births before the year  2000 and 9.90 after 2000. The prevalence did not change significantly. The  population in Turkey is still young; the fertility rate is high in women under  35 years old and prenatal screening programs are extensively applied; for these  reasons, the prevalence of DS has remained stable during these 16 years.
Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey. iacikbas@pau.edu.tr
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Acikbas
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Tomatir
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Akdag
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Koksal
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050498:Live Birth; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult