DNA Tests Can Detect Down Syndrome Since Pregnant

News Health Articles - DNA Tests Can Detect Down Syndrome Since Pregnant. pregnancy test using the DNA in the blood can detect pregnancy or baby with Down syndrome Down syndrome. This test is far more secure than previous detection procedures are risky.

DNA or Nucleic Acid Deoxyribo a nucleic acid that stores all information about genetics. DNA is what determines the type of hair, skin color and specific qualities of the man.

This test can be performed since the age of 10 weeks of pregnancy in women at high risk of Down syndrome babies contain. The trial results of this test is based on a large study of nearly 1,700 high-risk pregnancies that lead to chromosomal abnormalities and 212 of whom are affected by Down syndrome.

News Health Articles - DNA Tests Can Detect Down Syndrome Since Pregnant

The study was led by Jacob Canick PhD and Glenn Palomaki PhD from the Division of Medical Screening and Special Testing at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Women & Infants Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

This test is able to identify 98.6% of pregnancies with Down syndrome and normal pregnancies only 0.2% false positive called Down syndrome. The failure rate of this test to provide a clinical interpretation of only 0.8%. These findings suggest that the new test will be very effectively carried out on pregnant women than the previous method.

"With the current screening methods, only about one in 30 women who underwent invasive diagnostic procedures follow those found positive for pregnancy with Down syndrome. We hope that this DNA-based tests will more accurately determine which women should be given diagnostic tests are invasive," said Dr. Canick as quoted from ScienceDaily.com, Monday (07/11/2011).

"If this new test is used as we have explained, almost all women with normal pregnancy can avoid invasive diagnostic procedures and do not have to worry about the cost and negative impact on the fetus," continued Dr. Palomaki.

Down syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that causes mental retardation, distinctive facial characteristics, and, often accompanied by heart defects. This syndrome is experienced by one of the 550 babies born each year in the United States. Down syndrome occurs when each cell in an individual has two copies of three of the 21 st chromosome.

Previous method to detect Down syndrome before the baby is born is by combining maternal age with the results of maternal serum and ultrasound measurements at first and second trimesters of pregnancy.

This test can detect up to 90% of cases of Down syndrome, but also wrong to identify 2% to 5% of normal pregnancies. New tests with this DNA would reduce the error rate of the previous methods but still have the accuracy that can be relied upon.

"Early detection and diagnosis of Down syndrome before birth has since become part of prenatal care for decades in the U.S.. There is a possibility that the presence of this new test, there will be more and more women are choosing to do the screening because the procedure safer and more concise than previous methods, "concluded Dr. Canick.