Objectives To describe caregiver-reported QOL in youth with DS and to examine the role of obesity on QOL. Study design Caregivers of youth with and without DS aged 10 through 20 years completed questionnaires examining QOL (PedsQL) and weight-related QOL (Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Kids: IWQOL-Kids). Age- and sex-specific Z-scores were generated for body mass index (BMI). Obesity was defined as a BMI≥95th percentile for age and sex. Results Caregiver-reported Total QOL, Physical Health, and Psychosocial Health summary scores were all lower in the DS group compared with the non-DS controls (p<0.001). Social and School Functioning were also lower (p<0.001), but Emotional Functioning did not differ between DS and non-DS groups (p=0.31). Physical Functioning (p=0.003) and Total scores (p=0.03) differed between obese and non-obese non-DS youth, but no differences were reported between obese and non-obese youth with DS. On the IWQOL-Kids, caregivers of youth with DS reported higher Body Esteem (p=0.020) and Social Life scores (p=0.03) than caregivers of non-DS youth. Caregivers of youth with obesity, regardless of DS status, reported significantly lower weight-specific QOL scores than caregivers for non-obese youth. Conclusion Caregivers reported lower QOL in youth with DS compared with youth without DS with the exception of emotional functioning. Obesity influences most domains of weight-related QOL in youth with and without DS; therefore, providers should address weight concerns in youth with obesity even in the presence of DS.

Background: Median survival in Down Syndrome(DS) is 60 years, but cardiovascular disease risk and its markers such as left ventricular mass(LVM) have received limited attention. In youth, LVM is typically scaled to height^2 .7 as a surrogate for lean body mass(LBM), the strongest

The purpose of this article is to describe the prevalence of cardiac disease previously undiagnosed in healthy asymptomatic children and adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). Subjects with DS ages 10-20 years were recruited from two sites, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) and Children's National Health System (Washington, DC) for a cross-sectional study of body composition and cardiometabolic risk. Echocardiographic and clinical data were collected from patients enrolled in the parent study of cardiometabolic risk. Nine (6%) new cardiac diagnoses were identified out of 149 eligible patients. All new findings resulted in outpatient referrals to pediatric cardiology. Current guidelines recommend screening all newborns with DS for congenital heart disease. Older patients with DS may benefit from rescreening. K E Y W O R D S congenital heart disease, Down syndrome, echocardiogram

No abstract

Purpose: The aims of this study are to (1) compare physical activity (PA) and sedentary activity (SA) in youth with and without Down syndrome (DS and non-DS) and examine the relationships of PA and SA with their traditional risk factors (age, sex, race, and body mass index Z score [BMI-Z]) and (2) explore the relationship of PA with visceral fat (VFAT) in both groups. Methods: SenseWear accelerometry data from at least 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day were collected from youth with DS (N = 77) and non-DS (N = 57) youth. VFAT was measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry. Results: In age-, sex-, race-, and BMI-Z–adjusted models, those with DS engaged in more minutes of light PA (LPA) (p < 0.0001) and less SA (p = 0.003) and trended toward fewer minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (p = 0.08) than non-DS youth. No race or sex differences in MVPA were detected in those with DS, unlike non-DS. After additional adjustment for pubertal status, the relationship between MVPA and VFAT approached significance (p = 0.06), whereas the relationships of LPA and SA with VFAT were maintained (p ≤ 0.0001 for both). Conclusion: Youth with DS engage in more LPA compared with non-DS, which, in typically developing populations, can confer a more favorable weight status. Increasing the opportunity for youth with DS to engage in LPA as part of their activities of daily living may offer a viable strategy for achieving healthy weight when barriers restrict pursuit of more vigorous PA.