The older the mother, the higher the risk of having a child with Down syndrome

The number of children born with Down syndrome, increases by about one percent annually from 1979-th year, according to researchers at the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Experts attribute this to the fact that in recent years more and more women having babies over the age of 35 years. Researchers say that older women the probability of having a child with Down syndrome is increased five times compared with the young mothers.

Currently in the U.S. about 1 out of 1 000 children and adolescents have chromosomal abnormalities, and approximately 5 400 children each year are born with Down’s syndrome.

Children with Down syndrome are lagging behind in mental development, but also have other problems, such as many of them are born with congenital heart defects. However, the average life expectancy of people in the United States is 50 years.