A study says patients with Down syndrome are prone to a higher risk of having heart disease, including stroke, with a 4.41 times higher risk of ischemic stroke and a 5.14 times higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
This research, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine on May 7, shared that the 5.14 times risk of stroke is caused by brain bleed.
While the study revealed that both those with and without Down syndrome have the same risk factors, the risk factors are significantly higher among young people with Down syndrome.
The group of researchers says individuals with Down syndrome have a higher risk compared to people who do not suffer from genetic disorders.
Down syndrome is caused by a partial or complete triplication of chromosome 21, and the life expectancy of people living with it has increased dramatically from 25 years in 1983 to 60 years in 2020.
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With this recent study, researchers urged for large population-based studies on aging people with Down syndrome to improve detection, prevention, and treatment of age-related comorbidities in this unique population.
Although the scientists noted that, in early childhood, the extra chromosome 21 begins to manifest along with the presence of congenital heart defects and intellectual disability, including autoimmune and hematological disorders such as leukemia, at a later stage of life, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease will be witnessed.
The scientists suggested that the risk factors are linked to cardiovascular risk factors, with a prevalence of obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and dyslipidemia, but a remarkably low prevalence of hypertension.
Dr. Anne Pedersen, of Sweden’s University of Gothenburg, said in a statement that, “Our results show that individuals with Down syndrome are at increased risk of some age-related cardiovascular outcomes, and indicate, in line with results from previous studies, that their cardiovascular risk factor profile differs from the general population.”
It is noted that those with Down syndrome age faster, with the immune system failing earlier than in the general population.
More than 5,155 people with Down syndrome born in Sweden between 1946 and 2000 health were studied and compared to those living without Down syndrome.
