What are signs of down syndrome in an infant?

Complex issue: Children with downs syndrome can be seriously ill at birth. They may have heart disease, bowel obstruction, serious lung disease, blood sugar problems. If these are not present, they may be healthy but hypotonic with trouble feeding. Usually they have obvious features of their face and ears and hands that suggest the diagnosis. Chromosome testing will confirm the diagnosis.

Prenatal screening : for Down Syndrome is offered to all women. If screening was not done, pediatricians usually recognize an infant with DS, except some with mosaic DS. A round face, upslanting eyes, epicanthic folds, flat nasal bridge, transverse palmar creases, low hairline on the neck in a newborn with low muscle tone, poor feeding, a heart murmur & other characteristic findings alert them.