Buccal micronucleus frequency is associated with age in Down syndrome
Down syndrome has been linked to premature aging and genomic instability. We examined the frequency of micronucleus (MN) and binucleated cells in the oral mucosa of Down syndrome patients and healthy controls matched by age and gender, addressing the effect of age and family income. Down syndrome individuals had an increased number of MN (14.30 ± 9.35 vs 4.03 ± 1.71; P 0.001) and binucleated cells (0.97 ± 1.3 vs 0.33 ± 0.66; P 0.05) per 2000 cells.