MCQp1a24

a.	has a risk of Down’s syndrome of 1:100	False
b.	should be advised to have screening for Down’s syndrome	False
c.	should be advised to have amniocentesis, not the ‘triple’ test	False
d.	should be ashamed of herself	?
e.	is at increased risk of Edward’s syndrome	True
f.	is at increased risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect	False

The risk of Down’s syndrome rises with age: at age 40 it is about 1:100.

It is difficult to remember the risk for all ages and it makes sense to have a card in your antenatal clinic with the relevant information.

We should not ‘advise’ patients to follow particular courses of action, unless we are dealing with matters of considerable gravity.

The bottom line is that we provide patients with information and they decide.

As regards Edward's syndrome, (trisomy 18 - see MCQ 2, question 35) the risk of most chromosome abnormalities increases with age.

This includes Edward's, but it is rare at all ages.