Background: Down syndrome is congenital disease caused by abnormalities in
21st chromosome. Small head circumference and developmental delay are
characteristics of children with Down Syndrome. Head circumference is the best
predictor of growth and development of the brain. Overexpression genes on 21st
chromosome alters the structure and function of the brain and eventually interfere
with the child's development.
Objective:To analyze the association between head circumference and
development of child with Down syndrome.
Methods: This study was a retrospective observational analytic. Twenty one
samples collected from medical records of children with Down syndrome in RSUP
dr. Karyadi Semarang. Manually and x-ray photo head circumference, BB / TB,
congenital heart disease, thyroid status, and development DDST II were collected
in this study. Fisher were used for statistical analysis.
Results: Bivariate Fisher test for head circumference which measured by x-ray
photograph showed significant relation between head circumference (cephalic
index) and the development of gross motor sector (p <0.001); personal social
(p = 0.028) and general development (p = 0.012). Besides, for modulus index and
manually measured, there were no significant relationship between head
circumference and development of children with Down syndrome.
Conclusion: There is an association between head circumference (cephalic index)
and development of child with Down Syndrome.
Keywords: Down syndrome, head circumference, cephalic index, DDST II
