NORCET 7 Prelims -2024
Child Health Nursing (Pediatrics)
Easy

A nurse is counseling a family whose child has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. Which of the following is a common characteristic of Down syndrome?

Appeared in: NORCET 7 Prelims -2024

Explanation

  • Down syndrome, or Trisomy 21, is a genetic condition characterized by a distinct set of physical and developmental traits.
  • Short stature is a common finding due to retarded linear growth throughout childhood.
  • Cognitive delays, ranging from mild to moderate intellectual disability, are a hallmark feature, affecting learning, language, and processing skills.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option B: While reduced muscle tone (hypotonia) is a classic sign of Down syndrome, individuals typically have short limbs (brachymelia), not long limbs.
  • Option C: This is incorrect. Down syndrome is consistently associated with cognitive delays and intellectual disability, not a high IQ. The average IQ is typically in the mild to moderate impairment range.
  • Option D: This is incorrect. Down syndrome presents with numerous distinct and recognizable physical features (phenotypes), such as a flat facial profile, upward-slanting eyes, and a single palmar crease.

Related Visual

A visual guide showing the common physical characteristics of a child with Down syndrome, such as a flattened facial profile, upward-slanting eyes, a single palmar crease Simia...
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Clinical manifestations of Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
  • Nurses play a crucial role in counseling families, providing emotional support, and connecting them with early intervention services (e.g., physical, occupational, and speech therapy) to maximize the child's potential.
  • It is vital for nurses to monitor for common comorbidities associated with Down syndrome, such as congenital heart defects, hearing and vision problems, and thyroid disease.
  • What if? If the child was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome instead, the nurse would counsel the family about features like long limbs and joint hypermobility, and emphasize the critical need for monitoring cardiovascular health, particularly for aortic aneurysm.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the core subject of the question, which is 'Down syndrome'.
  • Next, recall the key clinical manifestations associated with this genetic disorder. Think about physical appearance, cognitive function, and muscle tone.
  • Evaluate each option against your knowledge. Option A lists two classic features: short stature and cognitive delays.
  • Analyze the distractors. Option B has one correct part (reduced muscle tone) but one incorrect part (long limbs). Options C and D are direct contradictions of the known phenotype.
  • Select the option where all components are accurate characteristics of Down syndrome.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Clinical manifestations of Down syndrome (Trisomy 21).
  • Stem keywords: Down syndrome, common characteristic, counseling
  • Lead-in keywords: Which of the following
  • Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.
  • Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QlJRmeGPN16q67YmvfiHxH

Reference Book

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 275-277

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 11789-11791

E6 Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics(2024) — Volume 1 p. 409-411

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