Down Syndrome Dementia

"Individuals with Down syndrome (DS), or trisomy 21, [may] develop a clinical syndrome of Dementia with clinical and neuropathologic characteristics almost identical to those of AD [Alzheimer's Disease] as described in individuals without DS. DS was recognized as a unique form of developmental disability in 1866, and few years after, in 1876, early aging was already recognized. Further publications confirm not only the premature aging and the clinical deterioration, but also the presence of the neuropathological changes of AD.

 

Accelerated aging in DS occurs in many other systems and is not limited to the central nervous system (CNS) alone. The recognition that DS is associated with trisomy 21 helped in the understanding of the genetic basis of this association. The neuropathology of AD in persons with DS closely resembles that of AD in persons without DS. Autopsy studies in persons with DS showed that almost all had brain lesions meeting the criteria for AD."

 

Source: click here.

 

Alzheimer’s Disease & Down Syndrome: A Practical Guidebook for Caregivers. Produced in part by the National Down Syndrome Society. Click here to download.