Is Down syndrome caused by mother or father?

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asked Jan 16, 2022 in Pregnancy by DJfergusonia (1,490 points)
Is Down syndrome caused by mother or father?

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answered Jan 18, 2022 by Marlene99 (7,810 points)
Down Syndrome is typically caused by the mother although it can also come from the father.

The thing that makes you high risk for having a Down's Syndrome baby is your age as the mother.

Women who are 35 years or older when they become pregnant are more likely to have a pregnancy affected by Down syndrome than women who become pregnant at a younger age.

Down syndrome is usually caused by an error in cell division called “nondisjunction.” Nondisjunction results in an embryo with three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two. Prior to or at conception, a pair of 21st chromosomes in either the sperm or the egg fails to separate.

Mothers age can affect Down Syndrome.

The prevalence of Down syndrome increases as the mother's age increases.

Prevalence is an estimate of how often a condition occurs among a certain group of people.

The reason everyone with Down's or Down Syndrome looks the same is because they have an extra chromosome.

And this extra genetic material affects growth of the maxilla (part of the skull) and the bone, cartilage, and connective tissue in the head, known as the cranial neural crest.

Down Syndrome people stick out their tongue due to a lack of muscle control of the tongue.

Because the tongue is a muscle, and is controlled by other muscles in the mouth, decreased muscle tone can cause the tongue to stick out more than usual.

Several conditions may cause decreased muscle tone, such as Down syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome, and cerebral palsy.

Down Syndrome doesn't typically run in the family.

However if someone in your family such as your mom, dad etc has Down Syndrome or a brother had Down Syndrome then you could get Down Syndrome through the genes.

Another factor of Down Syndrome is the mothers age when she gets pregnant with the baby.

One factor that increases the risk for having a baby with Down syndrome is the mother's age.

Women who are 35 years or older when they become pregnant are more likely to have a pregnancy affected by Down syndrome than women who become pregnant at a younger age.

Most of the time, Down syndrome isn't inherited. It's caused by a mistake in cell division during early development of the fetus.

Translocation Down syndrome can be passed from parent to child.

All 3 types of Down syndrome are genetic conditions (relating to the genes), but only 1% of all cases of Down syndrome have a hereditary component (passed from parent to child through the genes).

Heredity is not a factor in trisomy 21 (nondisjunction) and mosaicism.

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder caused when abnormal cell division results in extra genetic material from chromosome 21.

Down syndrome causes a distinct facial appearance, intellectual disability, developmental delays, and may be associated with thyroid or heart disease.

Medical specialists will conduct additional screenings.

Early intervention programs with a team of therapists and special educators who can treat each child's specific situation are helpful in managing Down syndrome.

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