Edwards syndrome History Edwards syndrome was named after

Edwards syndrome

History Edwards syndrome was named after John Hilton Edwards because he was the one who first described it in the year 1960.

Causes The most common cause is non disjunction. This happens during the formation of either eggs or sperm causing cells to have an extra copy of the 18 th chromosome.

Diagnosis Pregnant woman are offered to be scanned to test for Edwards syndrome when they are 10 -14 weeks pregnant. At 18 -21 weeks they can get a scan that will look for physical abnormalities. If the baby shows high chances of having Edwards syndrome they will perform tests to be certain that the baby has Edwards syndrome. To perform this test they will get a tissue sample and look to see if they can spot the extra 18 th chromosome.

Treatment The baby may need to be fed through a feeding tube. The may also be given laxatives and stool softeners. Frequent scans to look for kidney cancer. Physical therapy may also help to keep joints flexible.

Prognosis A baby born with Edwards syndrome is very unlikely to live past the age one 1. Half of the babies with Edwards syndrome die in less than 2 months. The 5 -10% that survive past the first year will experience very slow development and have difficulty learning and will need walking support.

Sources http: //ghr. nlm. nih. gov/condition/trisomy-18 http: //www. nhs. uk/conditions/edwards-syndrome/Pages/Introduction. aspx http: //www. disabled-world. com/disability/types/edwards-syndrome. php http: //shsgdp. wikispaces. com/file/view/edwards-fig 2. jpg/133312771/edwardsfig 2. jpg https: //encrypted-tbn 0. gstatic. com/images? q=tbn: ANd 9 Gc. Sbi. Bn_d 4 X 832 VSx 165 my 9 XG 2 zf. Dn. LL 8 ZDx 61 c_Pts_5 MCSY 2 Taw