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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffChildren with Down syndrome have a distinct facial appearance. Though not all children with Down syndrome have the same features, some of the more common features are:
- Flattened facial features
- Protruding tongue
- Small head
- Upward slanting eyes, unusual for the child's ethnic group
- Unusually shaped ears
Children with Down syndrome may also have:
- Poor muscle tone
- Broad, short hands with a single crease in the palm
- Relatively short fingers
- Excessive flexibility
Infants born with Down syndrome may be of average size, but typically they grow slowly and remain shorter than other children of similar age. Children with Down syndrome also have some degree of mental retardation, most often in the moderate range.
- Down syndrome. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/down_syndrome.cfm. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Barss V, et al. Overview of prenatal screening and diagnosis of Down syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Down syndrome Q & A. National Down Syndrome Society. http://www.ndss.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55:down-syndrome-q-a-a&catid=35:about-down-syndrome&Itemid=75. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
- What causes Down syndrome? National Down Syndrome Society. http://www.ndss.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=23&id=60&Itemid=234. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
- Genetic conditions: Down syndrome. Genetics Home Reference. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=downsyndrome. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Facts about Down syndrome. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/downsyndrome.cfm. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
- Canick JA, et al. Second trimester maternal serum screening for Down syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
