The Healthcare System's Treatment of Adults with Down Syndrome.
Many adults with Down syndrome face difficulties in receiving proper medical care as most Down syndrome programs nationwide focus on children. Adults with Down syndrome often develop chronic health problems, such as severe sleep apnea, digestive disorders, thyroid conditions, and obesity. Many develop Alzheimer’s disease in middle age. Researchers suspect this is related to extra copies of genes that cause overproduction of proteins, which build up in the brain. The United States had about three times as many adults with the condition by 2016 as it did in 1970.
