Around one in every 1000 babies born in the UK will have Down’s syndrome

        There are 60,000 people in the UK with the condition. 

        Although the chance of a baby having Down’s syndrome is higher for older mothers, more babies with Down’s syndrome are born to younger women. 

        Down’s syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in a baby’s cells. It occurs by chance at conception and is irreversible. 

        Down’s syndrome is not a disease. People with Down’s syndrome are not ill and do not “suffer” from the condition. 

        People with the syndrome will have a degree of learning difficulty. However, most people with Down’s syndrome will walk and talk and many will read and write, go to ordinary schools and lead fulfilling, semi-independent lives. 

        Today the average life expectancy for a person with Down’s syndrome is between 50 and 60. A considerable number of people with Down’s syndrome live into their 60’s.