World Down Syndrome Day is on 21st April. On this day, Down syndrome

Down syndrome

Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...

 organizations throughout the world organize and participate in events to raise public awareness of Down syndrome.

Down syndrome was first determined a chromosomal disorder in 1959 by French pediatrician and geneticist, Jérôme Lejeune

Jérôme Lejeune

Servant of God Jérôme Jean Louis Marie Lejeune was a French Catholic pro-life paediatrician and geneticist, best known for his discovery of the link of diseases to chromosome abnormalities...

. One in every 733 babies is born with Down syndrome. In the United states, alone, there are more than 400,000 people living with Down syndrome.

The date was selected by Down Syndrome International (DSI) to signify the uniqueness of Down syndrome in the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome and is used synonymously with Down syndrome. The original idea was proposed by Stylianos E. Antonarakis, a medical geneticist of the University of Geneva

University of Geneva

The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...

 Medical School, and enthusiastically adopted by ART21, a patient group for the Leman

Leman

Leman may refer to:People:*Albert Leman , Russian composer*Bob Leman , American science fiction and horror author*Daniel Leman , World class martial artist*Cory Leman , American football linebacker...

ic region of Switzerland. The first events were organized on 21 March 2006 in Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

.

The inaugural WDSD was launched on 21st April 2006 in Singapore, with events organized by the Down Syndrome Association.

External links

• First trisomy 21 day in 2006
• ART21 association for trisomy 21 individuals (French)
• World Down Syndrome Day
• National Down Syndrome Society's Facts About Down Syndrome
• Portuguese Down Syndrome Association - Associação Portuguesa de Portadores de Trissomia 21(APPT21)
• Down's Heart Group - support for heart problems with Down's Syndrome