LONGEVITY AND MORTALITY IN DOWN'S SYNDROME

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Abstract
The life span of individuls with DS [Down''s syndrome] has gradually increased since the 1920''s. The DS individual now has an average life expactancy of 35 yr. Despite advances in the health care of the retarded and improvements in the quality of institutional care, the overall mortality rate remains elevated by 5-fold. Specific mortality rates from respiratory diseases (particularly pneumonia), infectious diseases, congenital heart disease, leukemia and neurological disorders are still substantially increased. Disorders of immunological functioning, particularly T-cell mediated, appear to be related to this increased vulnerability, although further research is necessary. The periods of highest risk are during infancy, when congenital heart disease, leukemia and respiratory diseases are most lethal, and late adulthood, when Alzheimer-type dementia and declining immunological function are significant factors.