Q&A

Are trisomy 18 babies small?

Are trisomy 18 babies small?

Babies with trisomy 18 are often born very small and frail. They typically have many serious health problems and physical defects, including: Cleft palate. Clenched fists with overlapping fingers that are hard to straighten.

Can trisomy 18 babies walk?

While there are different types of Trisomy 18, this does not mean one is better for a child than another. With each type, there is a range of possibilities. Some children are medically fragile while others thrive; some children walk while others are confined to wheelchairs.

Can trisomy 18 kids talk?

the authors analyzed the communication skills of some adolescent and young adults who had trisomy 18 and 13. They found that they all were able to express some of their needs, although none of this very small group of 10 individuals had recognizable words, they could all vocalize.

What makes you high risk for trisomy 18?

Nevertheless, some risk factors exist. For example, the chance of having a baby with Trisomy 18 is higher in older mothers. In other cases, Trisomy 18 can be inherited due to a familial chromosome rearrangement called a translocation. Trisomy 18 is never the result of anything a mother or father did, or didn’t do.

What are the chances of having another baby with trisomy 18?

In general, in each subsequent pregnancy, the chance of having another baby with trisomy 18 or 13 is no greater than 1 percent. The risk to have a baby with trisomy 18 or 13 increases slightly with each added year of maternal age.

Should babies with trisomy 18 be treated?

There is no treatment that can cure Trisomy 18. However, some specific health problems faced by babies and children with Trisomy 18 do have treatments available. For example, your healthcare provider can help you find services to improve feeding ability or talk about the option of feeding through a tube directly into the stomach.

How common is trisomy 18 in babies?

Trisomy 18 is the second most common type of trisomy syndrome, after trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). About 1 in every 5,000 babies is born with trisomy 18, and most are female. The condition is even more common than that, but many babies with trisomy 18 don’t survive past the second or third trimester of pregnancy.

How does trisomy 18 affect a person?

Trisomy 18, also called Edwards syndrome, is a chromosomal condition associated with abnormalities in many parts of the body. Individuals with trisomy 18 often have slow growth before birth (intrauterine growth retardation) and a low birth weight. Affected individuals may have heart defects and abnormalities of other organs that develop before birth.