The authors of this review set out to provide a comprehensive, critical review of the clinically relevant literature concerning depression in Down syndrome (DS) focusing on epidemiology, potential risk factors, diagnosis, course characteristics and treatment. The search was carried out in January 2011 and excluded review articles not adding new information and single case reports. [read the full story…]
Whilst there is no evidence that dementia affects people with learning disabilities in ways that are different to those without learning disability, there is a risk that the early stages of the disease may be missed or misinterpreted. People with Down syndrome may present with clinical symptoms in their late 40s or early 50s. Estimates [read the full story…]
This long term study looked at the effectiveness of a preventive programme on dental health in people with Down syndrome, who are known to have increased prevalence of periodontal disease (affecting the neck and root of a tooth) The researchers looked at the long-term effect of periodic plaque control on the progression of periodontal diseases [read the full story…]
Researchers in Finland looked at medical problems in a population of people with Down syndrome and compared health surveillance to recommendations in national guidelines. They looked at case records from the specialist services in primary healthcare and disability services. They found many age-specific medical and surgical problems, including congenital heart defects and middle ear infections [read the full story…]
This study set out to investigate the natural history of thyroid function in adults with Down syndrome as there is currently a lack of good long-term follow-up data. The study team looked at annual thyroid function tests in 200 adults with Down syndrome over a 15-year period. They found that in healthy adults with Down [read the full story…]
This systematic review of prevalence rates of chronic health conditions in children with intellectual disability found 2,994 relevant studies published between 1996 to 2008. 31 studies were included that the authors felt had sufficient methodological quality. They found that the 6 most prevalent chronic health conditions were: Epilepsy (22.0/100), Cerebral palsy (19.8/100), Anxiety disorder (17.1/100), [read the full story…]
This study looked at 33 children with Down syndrome aged between 10–15 years along with a group of 33 typically developing 3–8 year-old children. The study authors measured motivation through observational assessments of curiosity, preference for challenge, and persistence, and also took reports from the children’s mothers. They found no significant group differences on motivation tasks. [read the full story…]
The onset of the menopause in women with learning disabilities occurs earlier than in the general population, and earlier still in women with Down’s syndrome (DS). This study set out to listen to a number of women with learning disabilities to find out what they knew about the menopause and about their sexual health more [read the full story…]
