Determining the amount, timing and causes of mortality among infants with Down syndrome.
Down syndrome infants face the highest death risk on day one and from month one to twelve—watch weight and heart closely.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Doctors tracked every baby born with Down syndrome in Tennessee from 1990 to 2006. They counted the infants and watched who died and when.
The team recorded birth weight, heart problems, and the exact day each death happened.
What they found
Ninety-seven babies died before their first birthday. That is 74 deaths for every 1,000 births.
Most deaths happened on day one or between one month and one year. Low weight and heart trouble were the big red flags.
How this fits with other research
Vakil et al. (2012) and Davison et al. (1995) looked at much older groups. They found adults with Down syndrome lose motor and memory skills faster than typical peers. The new baby data do not clash; they simply show the other end of the life span.
Matson et al. (2009) followed the same diagnosis from preschool to teen years. Early persistence predicted later school success. Together the papers draw one long picture: survive the first risky year, then watch for changing support needs across life.
Laugeson et al. (2014) and Lemons et al. (2015) tested executive function and balance in young children. Their work fits between the infant mortality stats and the adult decline data, filling the middle years with clear skill targets.
Why it matters
If you serve new families, share the timeline: day one and the post-neonatal months are danger zones. Push for swift cardiac screens and weight checks. Knowing when risk is highest lets you coach parents on warning signs and early referrals, giving these babies a better shot at reaching the next developmental chapters the other papers describe.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the amount, timing and causes/correlates of infant mortality among newborns with Down syndrome. METHODS: Using the Tennessee Department of Health Birth, Hospital Discharge and Death records, infants were identified who were born with Down syndrome from 1990 to 2006. Those who died during the first year were separated into three groups (first day death, neonatal mortality, post-neonatal mortality) and data from the Birth and Death records were used to compare the three death groups and the survival group on correlates of mortality. RESULTS: Of 1305 infants born in Tennessee with Down syndrome from 1990 to 2006, 97 died within the first year, for a mortality rate of 74 per 1000. Most Down syndrome infant deaths occurred during the post-neonatal period (56%), although many occurred during the first day (27%). Newborns who died during the first day had significantly lower birthweight, 5-min Apgar scores and gestational lengths, whereas those who died in the post-neonatal period had significantly more heart-related causes of death (all Ps < 0.001). No associations were found in this sample between increased infant mortality and maternal age, education, race, marital status or familial urban residence. CONCLUSIONS: Infants with Down syndrome experience high rates of mortality occurring at three distinct times during the first year. These groupings are tied to specific, different causes of death.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2011 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01349.x