Health maintenance throughout the life span for individuals with Down syndrome.

Purpose: To describe the routine health maintenance needs of individuals with Down syndrome who have specialized health needs associated with the multi-system impact of the diagnosis.

Data sources: Review of scientific literature including peer-reviewed articles, books, and online resources.

Conclusion: In addition to the routine health maintenance needs of all persons, those with Down syndrome have specialized needs. Failure to address these specific health maintenance concerns may lead to misdiagnoses and failure to reach the highest level of function possible.

Implications for practice: Patients with Down syndrome who have legitimate, treatable diagnoses may be misdiagnosed as having behavior problems or dementia. Failure to identify abnormalities such as cardiac problems or sleep apnea may shorten life and interfere with ability to live life to the fullest.