New Research Offers Hope for Increased Life Expectancy and Successful Aging of People with Down Syndrome
August 4, 2008
It is well-known that people with Down Syndrome often develop Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline almost twenty years earlier than the general population, and that the average life expectancy of a person with Down Syndrome is in the late fifties. That's why the case of "Mr. C" (a real person with Down Syndrome whose name is being withheld) is generating much interest in the scientific community. Not only is "Mr. C" seventy years old, but he does not exhibit decline in cognitive or functional capacities indicative of dementia, despite having complete and well-documented Trisomy 21 or Down Syndrome. The findings from this study are published in an article titled "Successful Aging in a 70-Year-Old Man With Down Syndrome: A Case Study" by Sharon J. Krinsky-McHale et al., in the June 2008 issue of the journal, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Access the article here.
