5 in 1000 born with Down syndrome in Kovai

Coimbatore: As many as five in thousand children are born with ‘Down Syndrome’ in Coimbatore according to government data. In a clear indication that children born with ‘Down Syndrome’ are on the rise despite advanced screening facilities, rehabilitation centres are witnessing a steady trickle of afflicted kids.

“Five years ago in Coimbatore, we used to see one child with ‘Down Syndrome’ every day, but now we have been seeing five children in a day. It is definitely growing due to lot of factors. Delay in pregnancy is another factor,” informed Dr Karthik Rajaram, director of Steps Rehabilitation Centre.

About 40 per cent of the children born with ‘Down Syndrome’ suffer from vision problems, 80 per cent of them are born with cardiac issues. Hearing problem is also very common. “These children tend to eat more than the children of their age. So it is very important to take care of their diet for their healthy living,” says Dr Karthik Rajaram.

‘Down Syndrome’ is associated with delay in physical growth, characteristic facial features and mild or moderate intellectual disability. The intelligence quotient neither falls under the mental retardation category nor reaches the level of the normal child mental health category. Women of 35 and above age are at high risk of giving birth to child with ‘Down Syndrome’, said Dr C. V. Kannaki Uthraraj, director of the fertility center at KMCH and Thamarai Fertility Services.

First trimester screening is called prenatal test that gives details about the fetus if it is growing at any risk or normal. The test reveals information about certain chromosomal conditions in the baby. “The screening combines two steps; a blood test to measure levels of two pregnancy specific substances in the pregnant woman’s blood- PAPP- A (pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A) and HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). Another step is an ultrasound examination to get the size of the clear space in the tissue at the back of the baby’s neck, it’s called nuchal translucency,” explains Dr Kannaki

Within 20 weeks, doctors have to find out whether the fetus growing inside the womb is growing with ‘Down Syndrome’ or not. If the report comes positive, the option to terminate the baby is given to the parents.

But these screenings and tests are expensive. “Per test costs around '35, 000 but if we compare it to the cost of bringing up a child with ‘Down Syndrome’, it is nothing. Every expectant mother must take all the screening,” emphasizes Dr Kannaki.

“Give a special category”
Parents of children with ‘Down Syndrome’ are planning to petition the government to bring the disease under a separate category and not to confuse it with any other disability by calling them mental retardation, informed an official from the Down Syndrome Federation of India.

“It is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome. But the irony is, government has classified it as mental retardation which is incorrect,” says Dr Karthik.