Introduction

Patau's syndrome is a rare, serious genetic disorder caused by having an additional copy of chromosome 13 in some or all of the body's cells. It's also called trisomy 13.

Each cell normally contains 23 pairs of Genetics , which carry the genes you inherit from your parents.

But a baby with Patau's syndrome has three copies of chromosome 13, instead of two.

This severely disrupts normal development and, in many cases, results in miscarriage , stillbirth , or the baby dying shortly after birth.

Babies with Patau's syndrome grow slowly in the womb and have a low birth weight, along with a number of other serious medical problems.

Patau's syndrome affects about1 in every 5,000 births.The risk of having a baby with the syndrome increases with the mother's age.

More than9 out of 10 children (over 90%) born with Patau's syndrome die during the first year.

About 5-10% of babies with less severe forms of the syndrome, such as partial or mosaic trisomy 13, live for more thana year.

This topic covers the following areas:

Symptoms and features

Causes

Screening

Treatment and management

Genetic testing

Further information and support

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 28 Nov 2016