Talk:Health aspects of Down syndrome

Cite template
I have reverted the addition of the cite template in the article. There is certainly no consensus that cite is to be used for articles and I find it difficult and unwieldy to use. Hence, I'd prefer to avoid it if possible! InvictaHOG 11:26, 14 August 2006 (UTC)
 * No worries. It is somewhat unwieldy, and it is different from the references that I normally use in my own writing (either Chicago Style Book or Council of Biological Editors).  I particularly dislike the way it handles full dates.  However, it does allow for a consistency in style within an article.  I'll leave the citations alone. TedTalk/Contributions 17:34, 14 August 2006 (UTC)


 * It's certainly okay to do so on the main article in order to have a consistent system! InvictaHOG 18:01, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Additions
I would like to add a reference to the DSMIG Health Care Guidelines (http://www.denison.edu/collaborations/dsq/health99.html) in the screening section. And since we have a section on plastic surgery, I could also do a paragraph on other "alternate therapies." Lleshin 14:39, 18 August 2006 (UTC)lleshin
 * If you'd like to add things, go ahead! Generally I don't create an article until I've finished it on a separate editor - this one was already created so you can see how piecemeal I've had to go about it given time constraits with work. Just to let you know my thoughts for this page - I have information to add about neurology under the symptoms section and then I plan to expand the screening/prevention section with a discussion of the guidelines. Finally, I'll expand the treatment section to include discussion of the treatment of the more common problems with links to the individual pages for further reading. The plastic surgery part was copied directly from the main page - I certainly wouldn't have written it first! If there are therapies that you think should be here, go ahead and add them and I will attempt to incorporate them into whatever text that I later add. I'm hoping that this weekend will be productive and that I can finish my work on this page. InvictaHOG 15:25, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Link to Down syndrome
Is there any reason that the only link to the Down syndrome article is in the See also section? --apers0n 12:37, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

I've wiki'd the first instance of Down Syndrome. This is one of those weird articles which is hard to put the title as the first words of the opening paragraph. I tried multiple different configurations and forgot to wiki DS in the final one! InvictaHOG 01:29, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

Lifespan

I have seen even more recent reports that the average lifespan of Down Syndrome people is greater than 49 and is somewhere in the mid-fifties (around 55 or 56). The writer of the article needs to throw out the negative "significantly shorter lifespan" and note the fact that the average lifespan is significantly GREATER for people with Down Syndrome today than it was twenty-five years ago, when the average life expectancy was only 25.--Susan Nunes

The life expectancy of persons with Down Syndrome has increased dramatically in the past several decades. There are 2 main reasons:

1.first is a change in acceptance of persons with Down syndrome, with decreased rates of institutionalization, improved medical and nursing care, with better diets, better hygiene, and better living circumstances.

2. second, is earlier detection and better treatment of the health problems that Down syndrome persons suffer from, such as congenital heart disease, hypothyroidism, and leukemia.

We are now seeing the natural history (or course) of the syndrome. With many of the reversible disorders being treated successfully, the underlying genetic derangement is manifesting as pre-senile dementia,which begins typically in the 6th decade, but can show up as early as the 4 decade. The clinical courses of these are variable, as they are in the general population, with some declining rapidly, and others quite slowly. As they deteriorate, they develop dysphagia, tremors and seizures, which predispose them to pneumonia.Bwthemoose 17:34, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Why no discussion of heart problems?
Aren't these the most life-threatening part of the syndrome when present? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.101.148.42 (talk) 06:40, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Contradiction with no reference (vaccines)
The article contradicts itself.

"All other typical newborn, childhood, and adult screening and vaccination programs should also be performed." [reference 14] ... and 4 lines later:

"It has been recommended that vaccinations be avoided due to the correlation of vaccination and severe Down's syndrome." [no reference cited]

I'd suggest deleting the suggestion about avoiding vaccines, unless it has a decent study behind it which we can reference.

Jonathan. Jdavtz (talk) 15:45, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Move to Characteristics of Down syndrome

 * Moot point. Fences  &amp;  Windows  21:20, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Health aspects of Down syndrome → Characteristics of Down syndrome — Health aspects doesn't really distinguish this article from the Down syndrome article, making their scopes overlap too much. The scope needs to be specified, and what seems to correlate best with the current content and its linking from the Down syndrome article is the Characteristics. Features, signs or symptoms could work as well, but characteristics is apparently the preferable in the Down syndrome article. Mikael Häggström (talk) 09:20, 17 June 2010 (UTC)
 * "Characteristics of Down syndrome" would be equally problematic. Anything that describes Down syndrome is a characteristic of Down syndrome, so there are no criteria to describe what should or should not be in this article. L believe it should instead be merged into the main Down syndrome article. --Arcadian (talk) 12:49, 17 June 2010 (UTC)
 * That would be an alternative, but by the size of the Down syndrome article, they should probably remain divided. Perhaps Bodily characteristics of Down syndrome would work? A merge would still be required, however; first by much of the current text in Down_syndrome#Characteristics to this one, and the rest of the text in this one to the main article. Mikael Häggström (talk) 16:30, 17 June 2010 (UTC)

Move to Signs and symptoms of Down syndrome
Health aspects of Down syndrome → Signs and symptoms of Down syndrome — On second thought, I think signs and symptoms of Down syndrome would be a more appropriate name than the previously proposed Characteristics of Down syndrome. Mikael Häggström (talk) 09:06, 18 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Moot, as the article has been merged. Fences  &amp;  Windows  21:20, 1 July 2010 (UTC)
 * On second thought, much of what is now written as signs and symptoms is in fact rather complications or conditions with increased risk. Having that split to an individual section leaves not enough text to justify a separate article. I should have agreed with you right away, Arcadian. =-) Mikael Häggström (talk) 07:54, 24 June 2010 (UTC)