Hospital Admissions in Children with Down Syndrome: Experience of a Population-Based Cohort Followed from Birth

Abstract

ObjectiveChildren with Down syndrome, the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability, are prone to multiple and varied health-related problems. This study describes patterns of hospitalisations for children and young people with Down syndrome in Western Australia.MethodsBirth records were linked to the Western Australian population-based Intellectual Disability database to identify all children born with Down syndrome in Western Australia between 1 January, 1983 and 31 December, 1999. These records were linked to the Hospital Morbidity Data System to provide information on all hospitalisations up to 31 December, 2004. Hospitalisation data, coded using ICD-9CM or ICD-10 (v0.5) were grouped into clinically relevant categories using the primary diagnosis. Rates of hospital admission for all and specific diagnoses were expressed in 1000-person-years at-risk and median age at first admission and length of stay were calculated.ResultsOf the 405 children, 395 had one or more hospital admissions, totalling 3786 admissions for all children and an estimated 39.5 person-years in hospital. On average, children were admitted 9.7 times, with an estimated rate of 757.2 admissions per 1000pyr (95% CI: 680, 843). A quarter of all admissions occurred in the first year of life. The average hospital length of stay was 3.8 days (95% CI: 3.7, 4.1). Upper respiratory tract conditions affected the most children (58.5%) and accounted for 12.1% of all admissions. Other disorders which affected a high percentage of children were ear/hearing conditions (50.6%), disorders of the oral cavity (38.0%) and lower respiratory tract conditions (37.5%). Overall, children with Down syndrome were hospitalised at a rate five times (95% CI = 4.3–6.2) that of the general population.ConclusionChildren with Down syndrome are at increased risk of morbidity for varied causes underlining the importance of comprehensive and targeted primary care for this group.

Health Conditions and Their Impact among Adolescents and Young Adults with Down Syndrome

“…Aside from the survey data obtained from our population cohort we have also previously studied the morbidity patterns in children with Down syndrome through hospitalisation linked data [30], [31]. Here we found that upper respiratory tract conditions affected the most children (58%) and accounted for 12% of all admissions.…”

Hospital admissions for physical health conditions for people with intellectual disabilities: Systematic review

“…A further study focussed only on admissions via emergency departments (Venkat et al., ), and another reported admissions for people with developmental disabilities, but did not separately report people with intellectual disabilities (Walsh, Kastner, & Criscione, ). A further nine studies detailed reasons for admission to hospital, typically medical conditions such as respiratory diseases, but did not contain a general population comparison group (Fitzgerald, Leonard, Pikora, Bourke, & Hammond, ; Lin et al., ; Merrick, , ; Merrick, Kandel, Raskas, Caplan, & Morad, ; Merrick et al., ,b; Morad, Nelson, Merrick, Davidson, & Carmeli, ; Sullivan & Hussain, ). Four papers reported respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and heart disease as reasons for admission for children with Down's syndrome, but did not have comparison groups (Fitzgerald et al., ; So, Urbano, & Hodapp, ; Thomas et al., ).…”

Effect of early multisensory massage intervention on visual functions in infants with Down syndrome

“…Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability, with an incidence of more than 1 in 1000 new births [1]. The impact of cognitive and sensorial deficits on quality of life of affected individuals and their families is remarkable, with high cost for the National Health System.…”