Edwards’ syndrome

In the UK, around 3 in every 10,000 births are affected by Edwards’ syndrome.



Humans normally have 23 pairs of chromosomes. In each pair, 1 of the chromosomes is inherited from the mother and 1 is inherited from the father.

If a baby has Edwards’ syndrome, they have inherited an extra copy of chromosome 18. This extra copy can be present in some or all of the baby’s cells and can lead to health problems for the baby.

There are 3 different forms of Edwards’ syndrome:

Full form In full form Edwards’ syndrome, the baby has inherited a complete extra copy of chromosome 18. This extra copy is present in all of the baby’s cells. Around 94% of babies born with Edwards’ syndrome have the full form of the syndrome.

Mosaic form In mosaic form Edwards’ syndrome, the baby has inherited a complete extra copy of chromosome 18, but the copy is only present in some of the baby’s cells.

Partial form In partial form Edwards’ syndrome, the baby has only inherited part of an extra copy of chromosome 18. This is a very rare form of Edwards’ syndrome.