Cardiac problems in this population may go undiagnosed, especially in persons who were born before echocardiography was available, according to William Hopkins, MD, who directs a program for adults with Down syndrome at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington. Adults who have the Down syndrome have an increased incidence of other medical problems, including hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, sleep apnea, and hearing and visual abnormalities. Premature Alzheimer-type dementia may occur, although its incidence is not as common as previously suspected. Hopkins stressed that reversible causes of dementia need to be excluded in these individuals. Today there are 7436, more than one third of the population with the disorder.
Treatment varies with the patient, and daily living can be burdensome.
Each day requires hours of chest percussion and airway clearance, said Daniel Rosenbluth, MD, assistant professor of medicine and director of the adult cystic fibrosis program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. It's also common to have many hospitalizations during the year or use venous access to take intravenous antibiotics at work. Some complications of CF that require vigilance, according to Rosenbluth, include chronic obstructive lung disease, which is treated with aerosolized medications or intravenous antibiotics, and bronchiectasis. Ninety percent of patients, he said, have pancreatic insufficiency that requires meal supplementation with pancreatic lipase for correction. Family Planning Reproductive issues are critically important for men ad women who have congenital diseases.