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Duration: 9 ms, Number of Results: 26

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Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism

Author: Ima V. Jonkheer, DO and Brian Chicoine, MD - Family Medicine, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital

Key Points  The thyroid gland is part of the endocrine system. It is a gland that is in the neck. Thyroid function affects or has an impact on many body functions and, therefore, abnormal thy

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Pneumonia in People with Down Syndrome

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

Key Points Lungs are vital organs in the movement of oxygen into the body and the removal of carbon dioxide. Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Pneumonia is more common in people with Down syndro

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Tips for Cutting Fingernails and Toenails

Author: Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L - Occupational Therapist, Adult Down Syndrome Center

Cutting your nails is a personal hygiene task that must be completed regularly to maintain healthy and strong nails. In the list below, I have shared general tips to make trimming your nails easier an

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Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar)

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

What is hypoglycemia? Hypoglycemia is the medical term for low blood sugar or low glucose. Blood sugar or glucose levels can be measured with a blood test. Healthcare providers make the diagnosis of h

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Diagnostic Overshadowing: "All Is Not Down Syndrome"

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

Many families have reported that, when they have told a health care provider about a symptom their loved one with Down syndrome is experiencing, the provider has, in effect, said, “It is jus

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Toilet Hygiene

Author: Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L - Occupational Therapist, Adult Down Syndrome Center

Thorough toilet hygiene is difficult for many individuals with Down syndrome. However, there are several options to increase independence and success with toilet hygiene. Use pre-moistened wipes . Be

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Tips for Managing Medications

Author: Monica Prindiville, OTS and Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L - Occupational Therapy Student and Occupational Therapist

Whether on one medication or many, people with and without Down Syndrome have difficulty taking medication as prescribed. The following tips can help simplify medication management and prevent missed

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Menstrual Hygiene

Author: Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L and Hannah Graham, MD - Adult Down Syndrome Center

One topic that comes up frequently at the Adult Down Syndrome Center is menstrual hygiene. Women with Down syndrome and their caregivers often ask us about strategies to make periods easier or even to

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Adaptive Clothing

Author: Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L - Occupational Therapist, Adult Down Syndrome Center

Dressing can be difficult for some individuals with Down syndrome, in part because bilateral coordination and dexterity skills can be challenging for many individuals with Down syndrome. I ha

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Gout in People with Down Syndrome

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

Gout is more common in people with Down syndrome (DS) (as indicated by the studies at this link  and this link ). Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis caused by

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Bathing and Showering Tips

Author: Natalie Rivera, OTS and Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L - Occupational therapy student and occupational therapist

Bathing and showering may be difficult for some individuals with Down syndrome for many reasons. Below are a variety of adaptive strategies and equipment to promote safety and independence with this s

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Does TSH tell the whole story?

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

Thyroid conditions such as hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) are more common in people with Down syndrome. Current guidelines for adults with Down syndrome

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Tips for Washing and Rinsing Hair in the Shower

Author: Adult Down Syndrome Center

Some families have shared with us that washing and rinsing hair can be a challenging task for their loved ones with Down syndrome. We have compiled a list of suggestions from families for mak

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New Way to Learn How to Tie Shoes

Author: Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L

This handout describes an alternative method for tying shoes that may help individuals with Down syndrome be more independent with this task.

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Diabetes in Adults with Down Syndrome

Author: Chuan-Li Fan, DO - Family Medicine Resident, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease marked by the inability of the body to regulate sugars through insulin. Either the body does not produce enough insulin in the pancreas to help the body absorb suga

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Thyroid, Weight, and Metabolism

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

We were sent a question about thyroid, weight, and metabolism in people with Down syndrome. People with Down syndrome more commonly have hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), one symptom of which is w

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Modeling, Imitation, and Mutual Participation

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

Observing someone demonstrate appropriate behavior, watching a parent or friend model healthy activity, or having a mentor to observe and imitate are all ways we learn a variety of healthy behaviors i

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Ask the Doctor: Thyroid Testing

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

Question: Recently, my daughter’s annual thyroid blood work came back as follows: TSH 9.74 (normal: 0.3-5.0), T3 27.8 (normal: 25.0-35.0), Free T4 1.7 (normal: 1.0-4.3), and T4 6.2 (normal:

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People First

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

When we started the clinic, families spoke to us about what they needed as well as what they expected and what was most likely to help us connect with families and people with Down syndrome. One of th

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Memorial/Life Celebration

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

I spoke at a patient’s memorial/life celebration a few days ago and I would like to share some of my words. I would like to go back to 1954, the year Don was born. Life expectancy of a perso

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Expectations

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

As we mention in our resource on Two Syndromes , there seem to be four main reasons for the differences noted in the different generations of people with Down syndrome – expectations , life

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Goals

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

As we mention in our resource on Two Syndromes , there have been changes over time that have contributed to some of our families with younger children with Down syndrome not relating to the l

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Life Expectancy

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

As we mention in our resource Two Syndromes , there are four main areas that we see are affecting people with Down syndrome in a positive way. The effect has been so great in some situations

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Opportunities

Author: Brian Chicoine, MD - Medical Director, Adult Down Syndrome Center

Over the years, some families have approached us after presentations and reported they couldn’t relate to a story or a point we made. We have found that it was typically a family of a younge

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