Extra Chromosome, Extra Love

Objective: Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal disorder and characterized by dysmorphic features, intellectual disability and frequent developmental abnormalities. Though the syndrome is a lifetime health issue for society, the awareness of our community on the syndrome is not sufficient. Methods: This study is planned to define the level of awareness of our population on simple Down syndrome facts. A questionnaire consisting sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and Down syndrome facts was applied to 283 randomly selected participants. Results: The majority of the participants (89.8%) have heard of Down syndrome and 70% of the participants were aware that Down syndrome can be diagnosed during pregnancy. Even though less than half of them (42.4%) was clued in frequent association of congenital malformations with the syndrome, more participants (55.1%) knew that the advanced maternal age was a risk factor. There were statisticially significant differences between different sociodemographic groups on awareness of particular subjects. Conclusion: Even though the certain demographics were well informed about the syndrome, there are still excessive amount of prejudice against Trisomy 21 patients; and therefore, more social projects are needed to raise the awareness.