Sunday, August 4, 2013

Symptoms of Down's Syndrome

 

Some of the physical signs that will alert you that your baby has Down Syndrome are:
  1. Low muscle tone also known as hypotonia . The muscle will feel floppy and look relaxed. All the muscles in the body will be affected. This is one of the features in newborns that usually alert doctors to check for Down syndrome.
  2. The Face: The baby’s face might be a bit broader than usual and the nose bridge flat. Down syndrome babies usually have smaller noses than regular children. The eyes may be crossed or slanted upward (upslanting palpebral fissures ). They may also have small folds of skin at the inner corners of the eyes, these are called epicanthal folds . The irises may have light spots call brushfield spots . They do not affect the baby’s sight. A small mouth may indicate Down syndrome and the roof of the mouth may be shallow. If the baby has low muscle tone along with the small mouth and shallow roof the tongue may be protruded and seem too large for the mouth. The teeth of the baby may be late in growing and when this happens they may appear scattered and pointy. The ears of the baby may be small and the tops may fold over. Sometimes there are no earlobes or they are very tiny. The ear canal may also be small but improves with the baby’s growth.
  3. The head of the child may be smaller than usual and the neck shorter and fatter. There may be loose folds of skin at the nape but these usually disappear with growth.
  4. The size and length of the baby will be as other children but they do not develop as fast as other children do. Doctors will monitor your child’s growth and weight to make sure they are gaining weight and growing the way they should.
  5. The hands might be smaller and fingers shorter but the feet are usually normal, but there might be a gap between the first and second toes.

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