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Forensic issues in Down syndrome fatalities
Byard RW.. Journal of forensic and legal medicine, 2007-03-26
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Down syndrome, or trisomy 21, is the most common chromosomal abnormality associated with intellectual impairment. Premature death is a feature of the syndrome due to a wide variety of conditions including congenital heart disease, impaired immune responses resulting in respiratory infections, acute leukaemia, upper airway narrowing, pulmonary hypertension, Alzheimer disease and atlantoaxial instability. Cases of Down syndrome not uncommonly present for medicolegal autopsy, as the non-specificity of symptoms and signs often precludes accurate antemortem establishment of a cause of death. Manifestations of Down syndrome are reviewed with an analysis of possible mechanisms of death and findings at autopsy.
Key findings
- Down syndrome, or trisomy 21, is the most common chromosomal abnormality associated with intellectual impairment.
Why it matters
This is a forensic review of causes of death in people with Down syndrome, listing Alzheimer disease among many conditions. It does not report on treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 30/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of forensic and legal medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine: journal h-index 72 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2007 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 36 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.7 citations a year over 21 year(s) since 2007 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 1.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Roger W. Byard: h-index 60 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Adelaide: institution h-index 918 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17961872) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 30 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Byard, R. W. (2007). Forensic issues in Down syndrome fatalities. Journal of forensic and legal medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2007.01.001
Vancouver
Byard RW. Forensic issues in Down syndrome fatalities. Journal of forensic and legal medicine. 2007. doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2007.01.001. PMID: 17961872.
BibTeX
@article{byard2007-17961872,
author = {Byard, R. W.},
title = {{Forensic issues in Down syndrome fatalities}},
journal = {Journal of forensic and legal medicine},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1016/j.jflm.2007.01.001},
pmid = {17961872},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2007.01.001}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.