What exactly is Down syndrome?
Down syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality also called trisomy 21. The NIP test detects this abnormality, and two others, in the unborn baby via a blood test from the mother. Since July 2017, this test has been reimbursed and is therefore very often performed on pregnant women.
In 2018, a striking decrease in the number of children with Down syndrome was noted in the birth rates. That number then dropped from 42 to 28, presumably due to the reimbursement of the NIP test. This turned out not to be a one-off decrease, because the number remained the same in 2019.
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