Trisomy 18
Edwards' syndrome, also known as trisomy 18, is a serious genetic condition caused by an additional copy of chromosome 18 in some or all of the cells in the body.
Each cell normally contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, which carry the genes you inherit from your parents, but a baby with Edwards' syndrome has three copies of chromosome number 18, instead of two.
This disrupts the baby's normal development and, in many cases, causes them to be miscarried or stillborn.
Babies with Edwards' syndrome will have grown slowly in the womb and will have a low birthweight, along with a number of other serious medical problems. Of those that survive to birth, around half will die within two weeks and only around one in every five will live at least three months.
Around one in every 12 babies born with Edwards' syndrome survive beyond one year, and they will live with severe physical and mental disabilities. Some children do survive to early adulthood, but this is very rare.
Edwards' syndrome affects around one in 3,000 to 6,000 live births.
Edwards' syndrome, also known as trisomy 18, is a serious genetic condition caused by an additional copy of chromosome 18 in some or all of the cells in the body.
Babies with Edwards' syndrome can have a wide range of different problems. Physical signs of Edwards' syndrome include: a small, abnormally shaped head a small jaw and mouth long fingers that ove
Edwards' syndrome is rarely inherited and the condition is not caused by anything the parents have done. The development of three copies of chromosome 18 usually happens randomly during the formation
There are two main types of Edwards' syndrome. Full form Approximately 94% of babies with Edwards' syndrome will have thefull form, where every cell in their body has three copies of chromosome 18,
Pregnant women are offered screening for Edwards syndrome between 10 and 14 weeks of pregnancy to assess the chances of their baby having the condition. The screening test, known as the combined test
If your child hasEdwards' syndrome, your clinical team will pass information about him or her on to the National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Diseases Registration Service (NCARDRS). This helps scient