Down syndrome numbers worrying

DAMMAM: The Arab Center for Gene Studies has estimated that one in every 554 newborns suffer from Down syndrome in the Kingdom.
Elsewhere in the Arabian Gulf, Oman has a rate of one in every 500, Qatar has one in every 546, and Kuwait has one in every 581.
Researchers have said this is often due to marriage among blood relatives. Such marriages have reached levels of 66.7 percent in Saudi Arabia, 56.3 percent in Oman, and 22 and 54 percent in Qatar and Kuwait, respectively.
Other factors relating to the causes behind the disease include high birth rates and the absence of tests to reveal the disease early.
The Ministry of Social Affairs assumed the responsibility of providing funding and services for patients with autism and Down syndrome in 2014, in addition to other patients who have severe and medium-level intellectual disabilities, and who cannot benefit from public or private education streams.
Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that leads to weakness in the mind and body, and was so-named after the British doctor John Langdon Down, who was the first to identify the disease in 1862.
The disease's most obvious symptoms include a range of physical and mental conditions, while some studies have shown that intelligence rates in people affected by the condition are lower than in otherwise-healthy persons.
Other conditions often connected with Down syndrome include heart diseases, and a high susceptibility to infections due to a weak immune system, respiratory problems, digestive problems, hearing and visual problems.
Research has also shown that people with Down syndrome have weak social and emotional abilities, with very slow growth rates in comparison to their peers, needing more than double the time needed by others to grow and develop.
The International Organization for Down Syndrome has stated that one in every 800 or one in every 1,000 newborns could have Down syndrome globally, while other statistics show that one in every 3,000 and 5,000 newborns will have Down syndrome. Some studies also note that a mother or father's age could be a contributing factor.