ABSTRACT
Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disability caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome (Lejeune et al., 1959) which may be responsible for skeletal abnormalities, short stature and other mechanisms of premature aging (Roth et al., 1996). Such disease is able to generate physiological and physical developmental disorders (Thibaut et al., 2006). In recent years the life expectancy of this population has grown over 60 years (Bittles and Glasson, 2004). Osteoporosis has been identified in individuals with DS. Lower levels of bone mineral content (BMC) have been observed not only in adults (Angelopoulou et al., 1999; Baptista et al., 2005; Sakadamis et al., 2002; Sepulveda et al., 1995) but also in children and adolescents with Down syndrome (Gonzalez-Aguero et al., 2010) compared with the general population. So bone fragility, and related fractures are expected to increase, being one of the main factors contributing to both premature morbidity and mortality in this population (Chaney and Eyman, 2000). Thyroid impairment, abnormalities of sexual development, musculoskeletal troubles as well as poor calcium and vitamin D intakes may contribute to the development of osteoporosis. Moreover, both paediatric and adult cohorts display a lower level of physical fitness (Fernhall et al., 1996) than individuals without Down syndrome. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a 1-year training programme based upon impact activities on the skeleton of DS children.
