Prevalence of Down syndrome in the CEHANI-ESE in San Juan de Pasto Colombia. 1998-2003

Prevalencia de síndrome de Down en CEHANI-ESE, San Juan de Pasto Colombia. 1998-2003

Background: The Latin American Collaborative Study for Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC) hasdetected a higher incidence of Down syndrome in South America. In Colombia there are not reports about it.Aim: To analyze the prevalence rates of Down syndrome between 1998 and 2003 at the CEHANI-ESERegional Center of reference in San Juan de Pasto located on the south of the Country. Material and methods:The information obtained by ECLAMC was used. This program, using a secondary data base (clinic history)as a method, registers all the patients who were born with congenital malformations attended in CEHANI, tobe compared with the total of births of the same sex, in the population. Results: During the study period, 49cases of Down syndrome were registered, with a mean rate of 5 per 10,000 live births, lower than expected.The rate variations along the years suggest a cyclic change, with a hemicycle of five years. Conclusions: Inthis Reference Center, mothers between 30 and 35 years of age, have the same risk of having a child with Down syndrome, most of the births with Down syndrome belong to mothers under 35 years old. At themoment of the birth, there were more girls than boys with Down syndrome, compared with a higher birth ofboys than girls.