Medical Professionals

Thursday, 27 October 2011

Our Helpline staff are happy to talk to you about child and adult health issues. We can suggest resources which might be useful to you. We will refer any questions that we are unable to answer to the UK Down's Syndrome Medical Interest Group (DSMIG). DSMIG was launched in 1996 and is a registered charity. It is a network of healthcare professionals – mainly doctors - from the UK and Republic of Ireland whose aim is to share and disseminate information about the medical aspects of Down's syndrome and to promote interest in the specialist management of the syndrome.

If you are working with women who are undergoing pre-natal testing, you may be interested in our Tell It Right Campaign. Has your service user got a copy of the NHS booklet Testing for Down's syndrome in pregnancy? If your service user has received a pre-natal diagnoses and she has decided to continue with her pregnancy, please let her know about our booklet Continuing Pregnancy with a Diagnosis of Down's syndrome. Your service users can call our Helpline if they have any questions about living with Down's syndrome.

If you are supporting new parents, please let them know that we can provide them with a new parent pack and that we are here to listen and to answer their questions. Did you know that there is a PCHR insert for babies born with Down's syndrome? The insert contains growth and weight charts, information about child development and health problems. To obtain a copy please call our Helpline. If you would like to order multiple copies of the insert please contact Harlow Printing Ltd, Tel: 0191 455 4286, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

People with Down's syndrome are individuals first and foremost. It is important not to fall into the trap of labeling all symptoms of people with Down's syndrome as "just the Down's syndrome". However, there are some common, but not universal, characteristics of people with Down's syndrome. Understanding these characteristics will help you to understand, diagnose, and treat health issues in people with Down's syndrome. This is where we can help you. We don't claim to have all the answers but we can make your job easier by talking through the relevant issues.

All adults with Down's syndrome should have an Annual Health Check with their GP. Take a look at our information sheets about Adult Annual Health Checks.