AIIMS Bhubaneswar extends support for Down Syndrome and other Genetic Disorders

Bhubaneswar: In a concerted effort to provide holistic care and support for individuals with genetic disorders, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar has been actively engaged in offering comprehensive genetic counselling services, particularly focusing on Down Syndrome and other genetic anomalies.

Dr Manisha R Gaikwad, Head of the Anatomy Department at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, highlighted the institution's commitment to providing expert counselling through its Perinatal clinic, which convenes every Tuesday. The clinic, staffed with specialists from various fields including Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Neonatology, Anatomy, and Psychiatry, offers tailored genetic counselling to parents of babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome and other genetic conditions.

The Perinatal clinic's efforts are complemented by the cytogenetic laboratory within AIIMS Bhubaneswar, which plays a crucial role in identifying common chromosomal anomalies such as Down Syndrome through Karyotyping, informed Dr Gaikwad during an outreach programme jointly organized by the Anatomy Department and Perinatal clinic in collaboration with the Institute of Health Sciences (Autonomous), Chandaka, Bhubaneswar.

Down Syndrome being the commonest Trisomy with a prevalence of 1 in 830 births in India. The baby presents with a flat facial profile, upward-slanting eyes, a simian crease and sandal gap. The babies also repeated respiratory infections, congenital heart disease and is one of the causes of intellectual disability, deliberated by the experts on the occasion.

As the incidence of Down Syndrome increases with increased maternal age, awareness among the public, medical professionals will help in timely detection of Down Syndrome and appropriate action, stressed the dignitaries, reports news agency UNI.

Highlighting the significance of raising awareness, Dr Ashutosh Biswas, Executive Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, underscored the importance of organizing outreach programmes to shed light on Down Syndrome and other genetic disorders. He commended the collaborative efforts aimed at addressing these issues.

Professor Satya Narayan Mohapatra, Director of IHS, stressed the importance of adopting a patient-centric approach in providing therapies for genetic disorders, advocating for a comprehensive and continuous management strategy that encompasses identification, prevention, and lifelong support.

The event was graced by esteemed dignitaries including Dr Prabhas Ranjan Tripathy from AIIMS Bhubaneswar and Dr Ramya Maitreyee and Dr Bhawani Sankar Padhy from IHS, among others.