Down Syndrome Survival Rate Increasing; Racial Disparities Exist

Down Syndrome

Children with Down syndrome are living longer, according to a new study, "Survival in Infants with Down Syndrome, Metropolitan Atlanta, 1979-1998," published in the June 2006 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics. The study examined the survival of 645 infants with Down syndrome in the Atlanta metropolitan area. It showed that nearly 93 percent of infants with Down syndrome now survive the first year and nearly 90 percent of affected infants survive the first 10 years. CDC is now conducting a similar study in 10 other states to observe if the survival rates of infants with Down syndrome are the same as in Atlanta.

Despite an overall increase in survival, the study showed continued racial disparities among children with Down syndrome. By age 20, blacks with this condition are still more than seven times as likely to die as whites.

"The finding that children with Down syndrome are living longer means we need to ensure that appropriate medical, residential, social and community services are available for adults with Down syndrome," said Dr. Jos