Early Decision.

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  • Author(s): Rochman, Bonnie
  • Source:
    TIME Magazine. 2/27/2012, Vol. 179 Issue 8, p36-40. 5p. 3 Color Photographs.
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      DOWN syndrome; PRENATAL diagnosis; GENETIC disorder diagnosis; SEQUENOM Inc.; DEVELOPMENTAL disabilities; CARDIAC surgery; BLOOD testing
    • Abstract:
      The article looks at how advances in prenatal testing could shrink the number of babies born with Down syndrome (DS). The risk of common tests that diagnose DS, amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling, are noted. Blood tests that identify DS as early as 10 weeks into pregnancy are mentioned, including one from a biotechnology company called Sequenom. Also discussed are heart surgery techniques that have lengthened the life expectancy of DS patients, how funding for programs and services for people with DS might decline as the condition becomes less common, and the lack of reliable statistics on DS populations.