What is Trisomy

klstorytime
Mar 1, 2017
1 min read

What is Trisomy?

Chromosomes are the building blocks for each person. Your cells contain the chromosomes. Most people have 46 chromosomes. (These chromosomes are usually in pairs so some people refer to the 46 chromosomes as 23 pairs.) Half of your chromosomes are from your mom and half of your chromosomes are from your dad.

However, some people have an extra chromosome for a total of 47 chromosomes. This extra chromosome can cause a variety of healthcare concerns. The specific health issue and severity of the issue depends on a few factors such as but not limited to:

1. Which chromosome is extra? For example if an embryo has an extra Chromosome 1 then the embryo will not develop.

2. Is the chromosome a partial chromosome or complete? A partial chromosome may yield milder issues.

3. How many cells have the extra chromosome? Less cells, typically less the severity.

The most well-known issues with extra chromosomes are:

Trisomy 21---Down Syndrome. 1 in about 700 live births in the U.S. have Down syndrome.

Trisomy 18 --Edwards Syndrome. Occurs in about 1 in 5,000 live births in the U.S.

Trisomy 13--Patau syndrome. Occurs in about 1 in 10,000 live births in the U.S.

March is Trisomy Awareness Month.

The National Institute of Health is a great resource at www.nichd.nih.gov