NICE, France, June 21 Screening pregnant women in Denmark with ultrasound and maternal blood analysis has reduced the number of children born with Down Syndrome by 50 percent.Karen Brondum-Nielsen, of the Kennedy Institute, in Glostrup, Denmark, said another benefit of the introduction of this procedure in her country was a drop in the number of invasive pre-natal diagnostic procedures from 11 percent to approximately 6 percent of pregnancies.Previously this procedure was restricted to pregnant women over 35 years of age, but since the implementation of the new guidelines in Denmark it has been available to any woman who wants it, according to Brondum-Nielsen.The women were offered a test that looks at the thickness of the black space -- fluid -- in the neck area of the fetus. If there is more than the normal amount of fluid the risk of Down syndrome is increased, said Brondum-Nielsen.In addition, if there is a certain combination of serum markers in the maternal blood test, taken at the same time -- 11 to 14 weeks of gestation -- there is the possibility of an increased risk of a chromosomal abnormality, according to the study.The findings were presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Nice, France.Copyright 2007 by UPI
