Is the number of people born with Down syndrome increasing?
This is a difficult question to answer because the needed studies over time in large, stable populations have not been conducted. Many factors that influence the incidence of Down syndrome at birth change over time. These include factors such as methods to detect a pregnancy with Down syndrome, different cultural views related to pregnancy, and age of mothers becoming pregnant. Nonetheless, it appears that the incidence of Down syndrome in the US and Europe has remained stable relatively over time. Studies show that as the incidence of Down syndrome has risen slightly; this rise is in proportion to parents having children at slightly older age.
