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Article: REPORT URGES BLOOD TEST TO ASSESS DOWN SYNDROME RISK PRELIMINARY SCREENING URGED FOR OLDER WOMEN
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- December 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2000 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Instead of the invasive - and somewhat hazardous - amniocentesis
test they are routinely offered, pregnant women 35 and older should
first be offered a simple blood test that can detect the chances of
fetal Down syndrome without sticking a needle into the womb,
researchers say.
Only women testing positive would then be offered the more
definitive amniocentesis, which is highly accurate in checking for
Down syndrome but carries a small risk of causing a miscarriage.
This challenge to the longstanding prenatal testing guidelines is
backed by the findings of a study published yesterday, which shows
that targeting women for amniocentesis solely on the basis of their
age is "an anachronism," ...