said Dr. Canick.
Dr. Palomaki added, "If this new test is used as we've described, nearly all women with a normal pregnancy could avoid an invasive diagnostic procedure and its associated anxiety, cost, and potential for fetal loss."
Down syndrome, also called trisomy 21, is a chromosomal disorder that includes mental retardation, characteristic facial features, and, often, heart defects, and affects one in 550 babies born each year in the US. Down syndrome occurs when each cell in an individual has three rather than the usual two copies of chromosome number 21. Current prenatal screening tests for Down syndrome combine maternal age with information from the measurement of maternal serum markers and ultrasound markers in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. While these tests can detect up to 90% of Down syndrome cases, they also incorrectly identify 2% to 5% of normal pregnancies as positive. The new DNA-based test will reduce this "false positive" rate while maintaining the detection rate.
"Prenatal screening and diagnosis of Down syndrome has been part of routine prenatal care for decades, and it is estimated that nearly two-thirds of all pregnant women in the US are currently screened," said Dr. Canick. "It is possible that with the availability of this new DNA-based test, more women will opt for screening because of the increased safety resulting from far fewer amniocentesis and CVS procedures being performed." The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 1995 that about one in every 200 invasive diagnostic procedures will cause a pregnancy miscarriage.
This industry-sponsored project, awarded to Drs. Canick and Palomaki and Women & Infants Hospital in 2008, enrolled 4,500 women at 27 prenatal diagnostic centers throughout the world. Women & Infants also served as one of the enrollment centers under the direction of maternal-fetal medicine specialist and director of Perinatal Genetics, Barbara O
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| Contact: Amy Blustein ablustein@wihri.org 401-681-2822 Women & Infants Hospital Source:Eurekalert |
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