Library resources: A focus on Down syndrome

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 51, No. 5, June 2009, Page 215 College Library
By: Karen MacDonell, PhD, MLIS Robert Melrose Judy Neill

Down syndrome, or trisomy 21, is a common congenital anomaly with an incidence rate of approximately 1 in 800 births across all ethnic groups. In dealing with the needs of patients and families facing this challenge, physicians will find the College library has a number of useful print and online resources. For example, Down syndrome results in an increased risk for several specific health conditions. The textbook Management of Genetic Syndromes (2005) provides a useful overview and may be borrowed from the library collection. Approximately 45% of children with Down syndrome will be born with a heart abnormality, which can be corrected before their preschool years. See Hurst’s the Heart (2008) and Congenital Heart Disease in Children and Adolescents in ACP PIER (2008) for details. Both of these texts are available for free online through the College library’s web site, www.cpsbc.ca/library.

Children with Down syndrome have a 14-fold increase in the overall rate of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and experience Alzheimer disease three to five times more frequently than the general population. For more, see Neoplastic Disease in the online text Current Diagnosis & Treatment Pediatrics (2009) or borrow Adams and Victor’s Principles of Neurology (2005).

For practice guidelines and authoritative patient information, try the College library’s search engine on the web site, or visit reliable sites like the Down Syndrome Research Foundation at www.dsrf.org. Remember that for high-quality clinical information to support patient care, the College library is only a phone call or e-mail away.

—Karen MacDonell
—Robert Melrose
—Judy Neill
College Librarians

Karen MacDonell, PhD, MLIS, Robert Melrose, Judy Neill. Library resources: A focus on Down syndrome. BCMJ, Vol. 51, No. 5, June, 2009, Page(s) 215 - College Library.


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