Suspected Down Syndrome in one of non-identical twins in Ile-Ife: A case report

Nigerian women of southwest extraction have the highest rate of dizygotic twinning worldwide, with a reported incidence as high as 49 per 1000 deliveries. Among the risk factors for dizygotic twinning is advanced maternal age, which is also an independent risk factor for Down syndrome (trisomy 21). Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal disorder affecting live born neonates. It occurs very rarely in twins, seen in 14-15 per million non-identical twins. Down syndrome in one of non-identical twins was first reported in Nigeria by Otaigbe in Port Harcourt, in 2007. Herein, we report another case of suspected Down syndrome in one of non-identical twins born to a 41-year-old grand multiparous woman at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun state, Nigeria.