Patau Syndrome

Patau syndrome, also called Trisomy 13, is a disorder where a person has 3 copies of chromosome 13. It is caused by nondisjunction, which is the failure of 2 chromosomes to separate during the formation of either egg or sperm. Symptoms of Patau syndrome include extreme mental retardation, extra toes or fingers, seizures, heart defects, and small eyes, head, and lower jaw. Patau syndrome can be detected before the birth of an infant, but if it is not, it can be discovered by looking at the infant’s karyotype.

Due to the fact that many Trisomy 13 related deaths are caused by heart defects, surgery can help increase the survival rate. Speech, physical, and occupational therapy can also help people who suffer from Trisomy 13 develop to their full potential. Although race and gender do not increase or decrease the chances of dying from Patau syndrome, 91% of infants die within the first year of life. Although there are some children with the disorder that have lived past the age of 10 years old, it is not very common, because of this, the disorder is not as present in society as other disorders.