Patau Syndrome: Understanding a Rare Genetic Disorder
Patau Syndrome, also known as Trisomy 13, is a rare genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 13 in some or all of the body’s cells. This condition leads to severe intellectual disability and physical abnormalities, including heart defects, brain or spinal cord abnormalities, very small or poorly developed eyes, extra fingers or toes, an opening in the lip (cleft lip) with or without an opening in the roof of the mouth (cleft palate), and weak muscle tone (hypotonia).