Aging and down syndrome

This special issue of the Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research journal was intended to cover selected issues defining the concerns faced by adults with Down syndrome as they grow older. As can be seen from this selection of papers, substantial gaps in our knowledge of the aging process in people with DS continue to persist and are critically important to address. Further, approaches for maintaining healthy aging in individuals with DS may also inform strategies for enhancing quality of life for other adults with ID or indeed in the general population. Ongoing longitudinal studies that monitor changes in health status, cognition, function, the development of dementia, and mortality will all be critically important for informing the development of policies and interventions to promote healthy aging in DS. A key challenge to aging adults with DS is the increasing risk for developing dementia; yet our social and medical infrastructure is not as well prepared for providing care to adults with DS as they age relative to the outstanding support available to children with DS and their families. The use of FDA-approved treatments for AD in the general population has met with limited success in people with DS [46]. Therefore, it is critically important to explore novel interventions and potential prophylactic approaches that may provide individuals with DS the best possible opportunity to age gracefully. Such interventions along with further study of aging, dementia, and Alzheimer disease in DS are likely to be of fundamental importance in understanding AD in the general population.