Blood check could end invasive test for Down’s syndrome
January 12th, 2011 - 4:05 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Jan 12 (IANS) A blood test for Down’s syndrome could practically eliminate the need for invasive procedures, a study suggests.The highly accurate test looks at the DNA of a pregnant woman to predict whether she is carrying a baby with the syndrome.
People with Down’s syndrome have three copies of chromosome number 21 rather than the usual two, the British Medical Journal reports.
Some of the common symptoms include decreased muscle tone at birth, an odd-shaped skull, round head with flat area at the back of the head, a small skull, slanting eyes and small mouth with a protruding tongue.
Current testing combines a blood test to check levels of some proteins and hormones with a scan to measure the space between the spine and the nape of the baby’s neck.
Babies with Down’s syndrome tend to have more fluid collecting in the neck than those developing normally, according to the Daily Mail.
The ‘false positive’ rate of these tests is around five percent, meaning one in 20 will be told they are carrying a Down’s baby when they are not.
If these women were given the DNA blood test instead, almost all invasive procedures could be avoided, according to experts.
- Simple blood test to detect Down's syndrome cuts miscarriage risk - Mar 07, 2011
- Study: Mom's blood can reveal Down's syndrome in unborn baby - Mar 07, 2011
- Simple, non-invasive test to diagnose Down's syndrome in pregnant women - Jun 30, 2010
- Soon, a simple, prenatal blood test for developing foetus - Jun 30, 2010
- Down Syndrome patients need early intervention (March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day) - Mar 20, 2012
- Indian surgeons save African baby with rare defect - Apr 26, 2011
- AIIMS surgeons remove 8-kg hernia from 2-month-old's head (with Images) - Feb 22, 2012
- Baby Falak critical, battles for life (Lead) - Feb 01, 2012
- Baby Falak undergoes brain surgery, still critical (Second Lead) - Jan 30, 2012
- Why older women are more prone to fertility problems - Sep 05, 2010
- Exposure to chemical may lead to Down's Syndrome - Sep 25, 2011
- Baby Falak's brother found - Feb 15, 2012
- Dracula therapy: Fighting ageing with your own blood - Nov 16, 2011
- Scientists identify gene behind rare brain disorder - May 09, 2011
- Falak critical but infection under control: Doctors - Feb 08, 2012
Tags: accurate test, babies, blood test, british medical journal, chromosome number, daily mail, dna, hormones, invasive procedures, london jan, muscle tone, nape, pregnant woman, proteins, skull, spine, tongue