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What causes Down syndrome?

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In 1959 a French physician, Jerome Lejeune, discovered that the syndrome was caused by an extra chromosome. It was later discovered that this extra chromosome appears as a third chromosome attached to the 21st of the 23 pairs of chromosomes normally present in the human genome. This third chromosome gives rise to the alternate name trisomy 21. The extra genetic material is responsible for the physical characteristics of the syndrome.

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Get more facts and information about Down syndrome . Or, view the full encyclopedia entry from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.

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