title: Adults with Down syndrome: characterization of a Portuguese sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Down syndrome or Trisomy 21 affects physical, behavioral and cognitive development. Ageing people with Down syndrome may suffer from several comorbidities that interfere with their daily life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze in a sample of adults with Down syndrome the presence of common medical diseases, regular use of medication, possible cognitive impairment and oral communication skills.
  
  
  METHODS
  The socio-demographic and clinical data of 209 Portuguese adults (20-58 years) with Down syndrome were collected. Twenty-six subjects were assessed with the WAIS-III. Data was statistically analyzed--SPSS (v.19).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost half (47.36%) of the sample suffers from comorbidities, with cardiac, psychiatric, epilepsy and hypothyroidism ranked as the most prevalent diseases. Seventy-two patients (34.45%) take medication that acts on the central nervous system. The WAIS-III results revealed IQ scores between 45-61 (mean = 49.65, SD = 4.93) and 141 individuals (67.5%) who can express themselves through basic oral language.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In line with other studies, these individuals are vulnerable to various comorbidities. Most have basic oral language, but the IQ values are in the 'extremely low' range, with better performance on verbal tasks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cognitive constraints and communication difficulties in the population with Down syndrome may difficult the early clinical recognition of comorbidities associated with ageing. The identification of new semiology, with caregiver support, is essential to ensure that appropriate care is provided to this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology. Hospital Garcia de Orta. Almada. Portugal.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Breia
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology. Hospital Garcia de Orta. Almada. Portugal.
authors.forename: Rosário
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology. Hospital Garcia de Orta. Almada. Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Silvestre
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology. Cercizimbra. Sesimbra. Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria Joao
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology. Cercizimbra. Sesimbra. Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria Joao
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Figueira
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics. Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida. Lisboa. Portugal.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bispo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011174:Portugal; D055815:Young Adult