Edwards syndrome, also known as Down syndrome, is a very rare genetic disease that causes delays in fetal development, resulting in miscarriages or serious birth defects such as microcephaly and heart problems, which cannot be corrected and therefore reduce the life expectancy of the baby..
Edwards syndrome is generally more common in pregnancies where the pregnant woman is over 35 years old, so if the woman becomes pregnant after age 35, it is very important to follow the pregnancy more regularly with an obstetrician, to identify as soon as possible.Problems.
- Unfortunately.
- Edwards syndrome has no cure and therefore the baby born with this syndrome has a low life expectancy.
- Less than 10% can survive up to 1 year after birth.
Edwards syndrome is caused by the appearance of 3 copies of chromosome 18, and there are usually only 2 copies of each chromosome, this change occurs randomly and, therefore, it is rare for the case to be repeated within the same family.
Because it is a completely random genetic disorder, Edwards syndrome is nothing more than parents of children.Although it is most common in children of pregnant women over the age of 35, the disease can occur at any age.
Children born with Edwards syndrome usually have characteristics such as:
Your doctor may distrust Edward syndrome during pregnancy, through ultrasounds and blood tests that evaluate human chorionic gonadotropin, alpha-fetoprotein, and uncon conjugated conjugated striol in maternal serum during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy.
Furthermore, fetal echocardiography, performed at 20 weeks’ gestation, can show heart defects, present in 100% of cases of Edwards syndrome.
Diagnosis of Edwards syndrome is usually made during pregnancy when your doctor observes the changes mentioned above, other more invasive tests, such as coral villlos puncture and amniocentesis, may be done to confirm the diagnosis.
Não existe tratamento específico para a Síndrome de Edwards, no entanto, o médico pode recomendar remédios ou cirurgia para tratar alguns problemas que ameaçam a vida do bebê nas primeiras semanas de vida.
In general, the baby is in a fragile state of health and needs specific care most of the time, so he or she may need to be admitted to the hospital for adequate treatment without suffering.
In Brazil, after diagnosis, the pregnant woman may make the decision to perform an abortion, if the doctor acknowledges that there is a risk of death or the possibility of developing serious psychological problems for the mother during pregnancy.