J Genet Med.  2015 Dec;12(2):92-95. 10.5734/JGM.2015.12.2.92.

Observed frequency of fetal trisomy between 16 and 24 gestational weeks in pregnant women older than 34 years at delivery

• Jeong SO
• Han YJ
• Lee SW
• Kwak DW
• Chung JH
• Ahn HK
• Choi JS
• Han JY
• Kim MY
• Park SY
• Ryu HM
• Kim MH

• KMID: 2149851
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5734/JGM.2015.12.2.92

Abstract

PURPOSE
Increased maternal age is a major risk factor for chromosomal abnormalities. The maternal age-specific risk of fetal trisomy was theoretically calculated. We investigated the actual frequency of fetal trisomy between 16 and 24 gestational weeks in pregnant women over the age of 34 at delivery.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We retrospectively, over a four-year period, reviewed the medical records of women with singleton pregnancies that started their antenatal care before the 10th week of pregnancy. Pregnant women aged 34 to 45 years at the time of delivery were enrolled and divided into groups of one-year intervals. We investigated the frequency of Down syndrome and all trisomies as a function of the maternal age and compared with the theoretical maternal-age-specific risk.
RESULTS
Of the 5,858 pregnant women enrolled in the study, the rate of trisomy 21 was 0.29% (17 cases). The observed frequencies of trisomy 21 in women with maternal ages of 35 years and 40 years were 1:1,116 and 1:141, respectively. The rate of all trisomies was 0.39% (23 cases). The observed frequencies of all trisomies in women with maternal ages of 35 years and 40 years were 1:372 and 1:56, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The frequencies of Down syndrome and all trisomies were proportional to the maternal age. However, the observed frequencies of Down syndrome and all trisomies between the 16 and 24 gestational weeks were lower than the theoretical rates.

Keyword

Maternal age; Epidemiology; Trisomy

MeSH Terms

Chromosome Aberrations
Down Syndrome
Epidemiology
Female
Humans
Maternal Age
Medical Records
Pregnancy
Pregnant Women*
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Trisomy*