Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum put his campaign on hold this weekend after his youngest daughter Bella was hospitalized with pneumonia complications from Trisomy 18, a chromosome abnormality, says MSNBC. According the Washington Post, doctors said the 3-year-old's recovery is positive but say it might not be the last health emergency in connection with her condition. Here are details about Trisomy 18.
* The Trisomy 18 support website says the condition produces an 18th chromosome when the child is conceived. Many parents worry they have done something that makes the body produce the extra chromosome, but there is nothing parents do to cause Trisomy 18, also called Edwards syndrome.
* According to the Washington Post, Trisomy 18 is similar to Trisomy 21, which causes Down Syndrome. Both conditions wreak physical and cognitive damage. Hands, feet, head and chest are usually smaller than normal. The brain, heart, kidneys and other internal organs are also usually affected.
* Only about 10 percent of Trisomy 18 babies survive into childhood; most children die before birth or within the first three months. Girls have a much higher survival rate. Children who survive into the teens are rare and have mental and physical handicaps.
* Pneumonia is a common illness as heart issues cause fluid to build up. Other infections of the lungs are quite common.
* Trisomy 18 has been linked to advanced maternal age and prior history of pregnancy loss, especially in the second and third trimester. According to the Rick Santorum website, Karen Santorum was 48 when she gave birth to Isabella and the Santorums had lost another baby in 1996.
* Trisomy 18 affects 1 in 3,000 to 5,000 babies. Along with full Trisomy 18, there are two other forms called "partial" and "mosaic." Both are much less common than full Trisomy 18. The National Library of Medicine says none of the variations is usually inherited conditions.
* Medline Plus says girls are three times more likely to have Trisomy 18 than boys. In babies with the defect, mothers generally have an unusually large uterus and excessive amniotic fluid, but the baby's placenta is quite small.
* The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reported on a non-invasive test for Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 21 using DNA in maternal blood samples. This testing provides new insight into prenatal risks of these conditions.
Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about parenting from 23 years raising four children and 25 years teaching K-8, special needs, adult education and home-school.
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