Human cells normally contain 23 pairs of chromosomes. One chromosome in each pair comes from your father, the other from your mother.

Down syndrome results when abnormal cell division involving chromosome 21 occurs. These cell division abnormalities result in extra genetic material from chromosome 21, which is responsible for the characteristic features and developmental problems of Down syndrome. Any one of three genetic variations can cause Down syndrome:

  • Trisomy 21. About 95 percent of the time, Down syndrome is caused by trisomy 21 — the child has three copies of chromosome 21 (instead of the usual two copies) in all cells. This is caused by abnormal cell division during the development of the sperm cell or the egg cell.

  • Mosaic Down syndrome. In this rare form of Down syndrome, children have some cells with an extra copy of chromosome 21. This mosaic of normal and abnormal cells is caused by abnormal cell division after fertilization.

  • Translocation Down syndrome. Down syndrome can also occur when part of chromosome 21 becomes attached (translocated) onto another chromosome, before or at conception. These children have the usual two copies of chromosome 21, but they also have additional material from chromosome 21 attached to the translocated chromosome.

There are no known behavioral or environmental factors that cause Down syndrome.

Is it inherited?

Most of the time, Down syndrome isn't inherited. It's caused by a mistake in cell division during the development of the egg, sperm or embryo.

Translocation Down syndrome is the only form of the disorder that can be passed from parent to child. However, only about 4 percent of children with Down syndrome have translocation. And only about one-third of these children inherited it from one of their parents.

When translocations are inherited, the mother or father has some rearranged genetic material, but no extra genetic material — this means he or she is a balanced carrier. A balanced carrier has no signs or symptoms of Down syndrome, but he or she can pass the translocation on to children, causing extra genetic material from chromosome 21.

The chance of passing on the translocation depends on the sex of the parent who carries the rearranged chromosome 21:

  • If the father is the carrier, the risk is about 3 percent.

  • If the mother is the carrier, the risk is between 10 and 15 percent.

 

Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Some parents have a greater risk of having a baby with Down syndrome. Risk factors include:

  • Advancing maternal age. A woman's chances of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome increase with age because older eggs have a greater risk of improper chromosome division. By age 35, a woman's risk of conceiving a child with Down syndrome is about 1 in 350. By age 40, the risk is about 1 in 100, and by age 45, the risk is about 1 in 30. However, most children with Down syndrome are born to women under age 35 because younger women have far more babies.

  • Having had one child with Down syndrome. Typically, a woman who has one child with Down syndrome has about a 1 in 100 chance of having another child with Down syndrome.

  • Being carriers of the genetic translocation for Down syndrome. Both men and women can pass the genetic translocation for Down syndrome on to their children.

 

Back Back to top