What is trisomy 18?
Trisomy 18 is a disorder caused by an extra chromosome #18 and results in significant mental retardation and physical deformities, including major cardiac and brain defects. Only 1 out of every 10 babies affected with trisomy 18 lives past the first year of life. As in Down syndrome, the risk of having a child affected with trisomy 18 increases with the age of the mother.
Trisomy 18 is also a chromosome abnormality, this one resulting from having an extra #18 chromosome in every cell. Babies with trisomy 18 have many serious mental and physical disabilities including mental retardation, heart defects, and feeding and growth disorders. Only 1 out of 10 affected babies lives past the first year. About 1 in 8000 babies is born with trisomy 18. As with Down syndrome, the risk increases with the age of the mother.
Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards syndrome, is a condition which is caused by a chromosomal defect. It occurs in about 1 out of every 3000 live births. The numbers increase significantly when early pregnancy losses are factored in that occur in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy. Unlike Down syndrome, which also is caused by a chromosomal defect, the developmental issues caused by Trisomy 18 are associated with medical complications that are more potentially life-threatening in the early months and years of life. 50% of babies who are carried to term will be stillborn, with baby boys having higher stillbirth rate than baby girls. At birth, intensive care admissions in Neonatal units are most common for infants with Trisomy 18. Again, baby boys will experience higher mortality rates in this neonatal period than baby girls, although those with higher birth weights do better across all categories. Some children will be able to be discharged from the hospital with home nursing support
Trisomy 18, also called Edwards syndrome, is a chromosomal condition associated with severe intellectual disability and abnormalities in many parts of the body. Individuals with trisomy 18 often have a low birth weight; a small, abnormally shaped head; a small jaw and mouth; clenched fists with overlapping fingers; heart defects; and abnormalities of other organs. Due to the presence of several life-threatening medical problems, many infants with trisomy 18 die within their first month. Five percent to 10 percent of children with this condition live past their first year.
