Denmark records dramatic drop in births of babies with DS
December 1st, 2008
From the [UK] Guardian:
A national prenatal screening program in Denmark has reduced by half the number of babies with Down syndrome born there, according to a study published in the current British Medical Journal.
Researchers led by Prof. Ann Tabor of the University of Copenhagen surveyed data from the 19 Danish departments of gynecology and obstetrics and the national cytogenetic registry for an average of 65,000 births each year between 2000 and 2007. They
found that the number of babies born in Denmark with Down syndrome fell from 55-65 per year during 2000-2004, before the program was put in place, to 31 in 2005 and 32 in 2006.
Attempts to establish similar programs in Britain, Australia and New Zealand have not been successful, as they face a lack of consensus about the screening policy as well as logistical challenges.
BMJ press release here.
(Photo from British Medical Journal)
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