Research to guide clinicians in the management of the devastating regression which can affect adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome is limited. A multi‐site, international, longitudinal cohort of individuals with a clinical diagnosis of Unexplained Regression in Down syndrome (URDS) was collated through seven Down syndrome clinics. Tiered medical evaluation, a 28‐item core symptom list, and interim management are described naturalistically. Improvement—defined by the percentage of baseline function on a Parent‐reported Functional Score, overall improvement in symptoms on a Clinician‐administered Functional Assessment, or report of management type being associated with improvement—was analyzed. Improvement rates using ECT, IVIG, and others were compared. Across seven clinics, 51 patients with URDS had regression at age 17.6 years, on average, and showed an average 14.1 out of 28 symptoms. Longitudinal improvement in function was achieved in many patients and the medical management, types of treatment, and their impact on function are described. Management with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was significantly associated with higher rate of improvement in symptoms at the next visit (p = 0.001). Our longitudinal data demonstrates that URDS is treatable, with various forms of clinical management and has a variable course. The data suggests that IVIG may be an effective treatment in some individuals. Our description of the management approaches used in this cohort lays the groundwork for future research, such as development of standardized objective outcome measure and creation of a clinical practice guideline for URDS.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder affecting approximately 16% of adults (24% of men and 9% of women), and, if untreated, it can cause significant complications (Young, 2009). This study evaluates 56 adult patients with Down syndrome and analyzed retrospective data to determine the: (1) prevalence of OSA, (2) severity of OSA, and (3) association between body mass index (BMI) and OSA. Of those participants that had polysomnography (PSG) testing available, 82.1% were diagnosed with OSA, divided by severity into mild (45.7%), moderate (15.2%), and severe (39.1%) levels. Because of the high prevalence of OSA among our study population, we recommend that all adults with DS be screened for OSA with PSG.
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