Results of a phychometric study of children between 3½ and 14 years of age with trisomy-21 (11 controls and 16 treated with DMSO-amino acid therapy). The averages are according to the Binet-Kulman test. B =  before treatment; A = after treatment.

Motor Area.

The controls were stagnant, as the average motor index before treatment was 34, and it was 36 after observation. Taking the cases individually, the same result was observed. In the treated group the initial average was 38, which is comparable to that of the controls. At the end of the therapy, however, the average score was 11 points over the former figure, at a value of 49. Taking the cases individually, 7 cases out of 16 rose 10 points, while the rest remained stationary.

Language Area.

The utilization and comprehension aspects of verbal communication were examined. The results were as follows: Regression was not observed in the control group, but stagnancy in both were as follows; Regression was not observed in the control group, but stagnancy in both aspects prevailed in all control cases. The utilization average as initially 21, and it was 23 at the end of a year. In comprehension, the averages were 25 and 34 respectively. In the treated group, the averages for language utilization were 27 initially and 37 after one year. Of these cases, 6 improved more than 10 points and 7 remained stationary. In comprehension, the averages were 42 and 52; 6 out of 16 children improved, and the others stayed the same. The two aspects did not necessarily improve or worsen simultaneously; four cases were unbalanced in this sense. Only one dropped in utilization, and none dropped in comprehension.

Graphic Age

No significant variation was seen in the control group, as the averages were 28 initially and 34 after a year of observation. Out of the 11 studied, 2 showed rises of more than 10 points. At the beginning of treatment, the group treated with DMSO therapy had an average score of 24 points, which corresponded to that of the controls, whereas at the end it rose to 39, demonstrating a favorable difference of 15 points. Specifically, 12 out of 16 showed an improvement of over 10 points, while the others remained stationary; none dropped.

Figure 3

Average inteligence quotients of children between 3½ and 14 years of age with trisomy-21 (11 controls and 16 treated with DMSO-amino acid therapy). The averages are according to Gesill, Wieneland, and Binet. B = before treatment; A = after treatment.

Intelligence Quotient.

The results are shown in Figure 3. The control group began the observation with an average of 34 and finished with an average of 33; all variations were of less than 5 points. The treated group began with an average of 29, very close to that of the controls, and ended with an average of 40; in other words they showed a significant improvement. The scores of 7 cases increase more than 10 points, and none dropped in score. The neurologic examination of the children under 3½ years of age was carried out according to the models already indicated; the results are shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4

Results of a neurological study of children under 3½ years of age with trisomy-21 (13 controls and 15 treated with DMSO-amino acid therapy), during 1 year of observation.

Sense Organs

In both groups, the hearing of some of the patients was apparently diminished. In the older children, hearing was normal. In the control group there was a case of palpebral ptosis, which possibly partly obstructed the patient's motor development. We have already mentioned the preexisting bilateral cataracts and squint in the treated group. We must note that the child with congenital blindness showed deficient evolution in nearly all the parameters; after surgical operation he improved moderately in relation to his previous period.

Reflexes

We will only say that the control group appeared to have weaker reflexes, but none had important alterations.

Statics

In the control group, 7 out of 13 were classified as deficient, 3 as acceptable, and 3 as good; this was in contrast to the treated group, where out of the 15 cases statics were deficient in 6, acceptable in 3, and good in 6 cases. Reviewing only those children over 2 years of age, statics were good in 8 cases. Improvement was obtained in 7 out of 15 cases.

Motor Coordination

Among the controls, moderate retardation was found in 8 out of 13 cases, and 2 were good. In the group treated with DMSO therapy, moderate retardation was found in 4 cases, and 9 were good. In those over 2 years of age, 1 our of 8 cases were classified as good. There was improvement in 7 out of 15 cases.

Muscle Tone

The controls included 12 cases of marked or mild hypotonia and 1 normal case. In the treated group, after one year of DMSO treatment 12 out of 15 improved while 1 worsened. Among those more than 2 years of age, 5 out of 8 were normalized, 1 improved, 1 was unchanged, and in 1 case hypotonia increased.

Sphincter Control

The control group showed no improvement in sphincter control. Two of the treated children began to control their sphincters. We must note that from the neurological point of view, there were no complications in either of the two groups.

Laboratory Examinations

With respect to red blood corpuscles and hematocrit levels, in those more than 3½ years of age, the control group was found normal and the treated group presented only one case of 8 g-hemoglobin anemia before the DMSO therapy in initiated. This was corrected during the treatment. The results of the laboratory examininations are shown in Table 2.

The sedimentation rate in both groups presented temporary increases of up to 35 mm/hour; these coincided, with the patterns for infections of the respiratory tract.

At the end of treatment, only 3 children had between 10 and 23 mm/hour; the rest were normal. The white corpuscle figures did not vary, and deviation to the left was occasional. Four children presented moderate lymphocytosis at the end of treatment as a consequence of the above-mentioned infections.

The urine analysis was normal in all cases. Hepatic tests were normal, with the exception of one of the treated patients, who had 14 units of alkaline phophatase; the remaining flocculation tests were also negative in this case.

The aminoacidemia examinations were normal in all cases. Amionaciduria was present in generalized form in 7 out of 11 controls and in 10 out of the 16 treated children.

We did not observe any general complications in relation to the treatment. In some of the children under 3½ years of age, transient hard but unpainful zones appeared on the site of injection after the second or third series, but these disappeared during the month's rest period. In only one case it was necessary to continue the injections in the deltoid or the crural quadriceps. Not one patient had definite nodules (these might have made it necessary to suspend treatment). One case had a transient fistula with exudate of the injected liquid, and two others developed bacterial abscesses, which were surgically treated.