Definition:
Patau syndrome is also called trisomy 13. This is an abnormality in the chromosome in which a person has an extra chromosome 13. This condition is often inherited by the sufferers.
Diagnosis:
Before birth, fetus are already diagnosed of the disease through careful monitoring by ultrasound and tests run by the obgyne to check the health of the unborn child.
Treatment:
Therapies are being studied to treat the defect and to avoid the condition but still has not been proven effective.
Symptoms and Signs:
For embryos who survive the gestation period and subsequent birth, they manifest symptoms of Patau syndrome like mental and motor retardedness, polydactyly or extra digits, microcephaly, low-set ears, holoprosencephaly, some defects of the heart, structural defects in the eye, hare lip, cleft palate, defect in the spinal cord, abdominal defect, abnormal genitalia, abnormal pattern of the palm, fingers over lapping the thumb.
Causes:
The cause of Patau syndrome is due to a non-disjunction of the chromosome 13 during meiosis producing an extra chromosome 13. In some cases, Patau syndrome is caused by robertsonian translocations. It can also be traced back to medical history of the parents since it is also a hereditary disorder.
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