Patient's question:
A friend's child has been developing slowly and looks quite strange. The doctor said the child has Down syndrome. How can Down syndrome be prevented?Doctor's answer:
21-trisomy syndrome is a disease caused by chromosomal structural abnormalities. The direct cause is the failure of chromosome 21 to pair during oocyte meiosis, forming abnormal oocytes, which results in a karyotype of 47, XX (XY), +21 in patients. Advanced maternal age (over 35) and young maternal age (under 20) are both risk factors for the recurrence of 21-trisomy syndrome, and reports have also suggested a link with advanced paternal age. Currently, the exact pathogenesis of 21-trisomy syndrome remains unclear. Researchers have conducted extensive experiments in embryology and neuropathology, which have yielded significant progress, suggesting that this type of abnormality may be selected by trisomy genes.