Elizabeth

=__What is Edward's Syndrome?__= ====Edward's syndrome is an autosomal disorder* in which the person affected by it has a third 18th chromosome. Because of this, the disorder is also known as trisomy 18. When a person is born with a third 18th chromosome in every cell in the body, it is known as complete trisomy 18. People who have complete trisomy 18 have a total of 46 chromosomes and have extremely low survival rates. When some of the cells have three and other cells in the body are normal, it is known as trisomy 18 mosicism.====
 * Edward's Syndrome ** [[image:http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRuuju6BwCiW4qPmmkY6tGoe0mT-BOnRglMqrMWnWphvYYwijY8edCBX9jw width="338" height="251"]]
 * A mutation caused by a single gene

__What is the Difference Between Complete Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 18 Mosicism?__
In complete trisomy 18, every cell in the body has a third 18th chromosome. Complete Trisomy 18 is more dangerous and causes more miscarrages. Only 5-10% of infants who have it will live past their first year of life. Trisomy 18 mosaicism is when only some of the cells have a third 18th chromosome. The more normal cells, the less symptoms the child will have. More mild cases can lead to longer, and even sometimes normal lives. =__What Are Some Symptoms of Edward's Syndrome?__=
 * Clenched hands
 * Feeding difficulties
 * Breathing problems
 * Developmental delays
 * Mental retardation
 * For males-Undescended Testicle (When the testicle, which is formed on the abdomen when in the womb, never moves down to the scrotum)
 * Back part of the head is more prominent
 * Smaller head
 * Misshapen, malformed ears
 * A "sheild chest" (Including a short neck, widley set nipples, and a prominent breastbone)
 * Small jaw
 * Small mouth
 * Cleft lip/Palate (The roof of the mouth does not form propperly before birth, leaving an opening. Pictured below.) [[image:http://www.beltina.org/pics/edwards_syndrome.jpg width="303" height="360" align="right"]][[image:http://www.rch.org.au/emplibrary/kidsinfo/Cleft-lip-and-palate-1.jpg width="416" height="157"]]
 * Upturned nose
 * Palperbral fissures (Narrow folds of the eyelid)
 * Widely spaced eyes
 * Ptosis (Drooping of upper eyelids)
 * Clenched, overlapped fingers
 * Underdeveloped nails
 * Second and third toes are webbed
 * "Clubfeet" also known as "Rocker feet"
 * Small pelvis (Causes a limited movement of the hips)
 * Short breastbone
 * Kidney malformations
 * Heart defects

__Statistics__

 * About one in every 3,000 live births are affected by Trisomy 18
 * 95% of babies with Edward's syndrome are either miscarried or stillborn babies
 * Affects about 1 out of every 7500 births
 * Only 5-10% will survive past the first year of age. Those who do almost always have trisomy 18 mosaicism.
 * About 5% of people with Edward's syndrome have [[image:http://medgen.genetics.utah.edu/photographs/diseases/high/peri010.jpg width="158" height="195" align="right" caption="A baby with Trisomy 18"]]trisomy 18 mosaicism
 * Edward's syndrome is three times more common in girls than in boys

__How Does Edward's Syndrome Happen?__
Edwards syndrome normally happens because of a mistake in the division of the cell known as nondisjunction, which causes a reproductive cell with an abnormal amount of chromosomes. If one of these atypical, or abnormal, reproductive cells add to the genetic makeup of the baby, then he or she will have a thrid chromosome 18 in each cell in the body. Edward's syndrome is not usually inherrited, but it can be. If a person who is unaffected carries a new arrangement of genetic material in between chromosome eighteen and a different choromosome this is called "balanced translocation" because chromosome 18 does not have extra material. Even though they do not have Edward's Syndrome, people who have this are at a higher risk of having kids with Edward's syndorme. Parents who have had a child with trisomy 18 and want another one are reccomended for testing to see if they are at risk of passing it on to another child.

__Source__

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 * Miller, Frederic P., John McBrewster, and Agnes F. Vandome. //Edwards Syndrome//. Alphascript. Print.