Down syndrome is one of the most common genetic conditions in the U.S. and Canada. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 6,000 babies with Down syndrome are born in the U.S. each year. When compared with the general population, children born with Down syndrome have a higher risk of developing multiple health conditions, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, before the age of five.
A recent collaborative retrospective cohort study from UC San Francisco, UC Davis and others confirmed that Down syndrome remains a strong risk factor for childhood leukemia, and associations with AML are stronger than previously reported:
- Children with Down syndrome had a higher risk of AML before age 5 and a higher risk of acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) regardless of age.
- 2.8 percent of children with Down syndrome were…
