Jason, a 4-year-old, has an intellectual disability and has shorter limbs than other children his age. His pediatrician observes that Jason has a protruding tongue and an extra fold of skin over his eyelids. Jason's mother informs the pediatrician that she was 30 at the time of Jason's birth and that he was born with a flat skull. From this information, the pediatrician will most likely diagnose Jason with
A) Turner syndrome.
B) Klinefelter syndrome.
C) Down syndrome.
D) XYY syndrome.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The symptoms described (intellectual disability, shorter limbs, protruding tongue, extra fold of skin over eyelids, flat skull) are indicative of Down syndrome. Maternal age over 35 is a risk factor for having a child with Down syndrome, but it can still occur in younger mothers. Turner syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome are genetic conditions caused by missing or extra sex chromosomes, and XYY syndrome is caused by an extra Y chromosome in males. None of these conditions match the symptoms described for Jason.

Jason, a 4-Year-Old, Has an Intellectual Disability and Has Shorter