Health issues
What is Down syndrome?
Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome, is the most common genetic disease. The physical characteristics are well known and are the syndrome’s visible signature. However, these are just some of the symptoms that patients may experience. In addition to certain malformations present at birth, especially cardiac, children with trisomy 21 can have a number of medical problems, affecting psychomotor development, vision, hearing, growth, hormone functioning, immunity, teeth, skin, etc. Associated with an early ageing, other medical problems can arise in adults, affecting the heart, brain, vision and hearing.
Treatment
An early diagnosis of common problems associated with trisomy 21 is essential to limit their impact on health and quality of life and to permit better progress for the child in terms of psychomotor development, social skills, learning ability, well-being and general behaviour. To this end, for many years now the Children’s Hospital has provided children with Down’s syndrome with systematic and regular monitoring through multidisciplinary consultations involving a range of specialists, commencing before birth and continuing throughout their growth and childhood into adulthood. For the comfort of children and their families these consultations are arranged on the same day and take place once a year, although sometimes more frequently depending on the particularities of each patient. Depending on the individual child’s needs, our team cooperates closely with other specialists and paramedical teams at the Children’s Hospital as well as with GPs and paediatricians, therapists (physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, etc.), support services, respite care services, associations and psycho-medico-social centres. A transition consultation can be arranged at the Erasmus Hospital when the child enters adulthood.
Specific care pathways
Our team works in close cooperation with national and international centres that care for children with trisomy 21. We helped draw up a medical follow-up logbook for children and organise regular conferences on various aspects of the pathology, in cooperation with the national teams and parents’ associations.
Our specialists
Children's patients (Children's Hospital)The multidisciplinary consultation is organised by the Neuroaediatrics Department (Co-ordinating doctor: Dr Anne Monier; Co-ordinating secretary: Ms Daniela Wayllace).Coordinating doctor and neuropaediatrician: Dr Anne MonierPaediatrician: Dr Pascale PerlotENT : Dr Benoit DevroedeOphthalmologist: Dr Lavinia PostolacheOrthopaedist: Dr Jean-Paul KaleetaCardiologist: Dr Hugues DessyNeonatologist: Dr Daniela AvinoGeneticist: Dr Catheline VilainCoordinating secretary: Mme Daniela Wayllace (02 477 39 67)Adult patients (Erasmus Hospital)The consultation is organised by the Neurology Department (Cons [dot] Neuro [dot] erasme [at] hubruxelles [dot] be (Cons[dot]Neuro[dot]erasme[at]hubruxelles[dot]be))
