Specialty clinics that provide multi-system care allow for individuals with DiGeorge syndrome to be evaluated for all of their health needs and allow for careful monitoring of the patients. An example of this type of system is the 22q Deletion Clinic at SickKids Hospital in Toronto, Canada, which provides children with 22q11 deletion syndrome ongoing support, medical care and information from a team of health care workers.Metirosine (methyltyrosine) is used as an off-label treatment for DiGeorge syndrome. Epidemiology
DiGeorge syndrome is estimated to affect between one in 2000 and one in 4000 live births. This estimate is based on major birth defects and may be an underestimate, because some individuals with the deletion have few symptoms and may not have been formally diagnosed. It is one of the most common causes of intellectual disability due to a genetic deletion syndrome.The number of people affected has been expected to rise because of multiple reasons: (1) surgical and medical advances, an increasing number of people are surviving heart defects associated with the syndrome. These individuals are in turn having children. The chances of a person with DiGeorge syndrome having an affected child is 50% for each pregnancy; (2) Parents who have affected children, but who were unaware of their own genetic conditions, are now being diagnosed as genetic testing become available; (3) Molecular genetics techniques such as FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) have limitations and have not been able to detect all 22q11.2 deletions. Newer technologies have been able to detect these atypical deletions.
Symptoms shown to be common include:

This syndrome is characterized by incomplete penetrance. Therefore, there is a marked variability in clinical expression between the different patients. This often makes early diagnosis difficult. Cognitive impairments
Children with DiGeorge syndrome have a specific profile in neuropsychological tests. They usually have a below-borderline normal IQ, with most individuals having higher scores in the verbal than the nonverbal domains. Some are able to attend main-stream  schools, while others are home-schooled or in special classes. The severity of hypocalcemia early in childhood is associated with autism-like behavioral difficulties.Adults with DiGeorge syndrome are a specifically high-risk group for developing schizophrenia. About 30% have at least one episode of psychosis and about a quarter develop schizophrenia by adulthood.Individuals with DiGeorge syndrome also have a higher risk of developing early onset Parkinsons disease (PD). Diagnosis of Parkinsons can be delayed by up to 10 years due to the use of antipsychotics, which can cause parkinsonian symptoms. Speech and language
Current research demonstrates a unique profile of speech and language impairments is associated with 22q11.2DS. Children often perform lower on speech and language evaluations in comparison to their nonverbal IQ scores. Common problems include hypernasality, language delays, and speech sound errors.Hypernasality occurs when air escapes through the nose during the production of oral speech sounds, resulting in reduced intelligibility. This is a common characteristic in the speech and language profile because 69% of children have palatal abnormalities.