People who have Down syndrome have an elevated risk for a variety of other medical problems:

- Congenital heart disease

- Early onset pulmonary hypertension

- Hearing loss

- Cataracts and other vision disorders

- Intestinal problems, such as a blocked small bowel or esophagus

- Celiac disease (a digestive disease that interferes with food absorption)

- Hypothyroidism (which causes a slow metabolism)

- Skeletal problems (shortened femurs, hyperflexibilty of joints, and many other problems)

- Transient myelodysplasia (defective development of the spinal cord)

- Leukemia

- Seizure disorders

- Dementia