Patau syndrome (trisomy 13) - symptoms and how to test
The genetic disease known as trisomy 13 (or Patau syndrome) is characterised by three copies of chromosome 13 instead of the typical two. Patau's syndrome is fatal in the first year of life for more than 9 out of 10 newborns. Only around 1 in every 5,000 newborns is diagnosed with Patau's syndrome. In general, older mothers are more likely to have a child affected by the syndrome. Instead of factoring into the decision-making process for the present pregnancy, genetic testing is done to aid parents in planning for future pregnancies.