How often does Trisomy 13 occur?

Trisomy 13 can occur in 1 out of every 10,000 newborns and it is estimated that Trisomy 13 occurs in one out of every 5,000-20,000 live births. Although women of any age can have a child with Trisomy 13, the chance of having a child with this condition increases as a woman gets older. Since there are so many complications with Trisomy 13 when a child is born, they usually die within their first days or weeks of life. Only five percent to ten percent of children with this condition live past their first year. Trisomy 13 is also the third most common Autosomal Trisomy in newborns, after Down's syndrome (Trisomy 21) and Edwards' syndrome (Trisomy 18). It is estimated that Trisomy 13 occurs in one out of every 5,000-20,000 live births. A huge proportion of Trisomy 13 pregnancies end in miscarriage. Of the Trisomy 13 live births, the median survival time is 7-10 days, and the vast majorities (90-95%) of affected patients die within one year. Survival times of up to 10 years have been reported for Trisomy 13 patients, although these cases are extremely rare. It is rare because of the Trisomies; Trisomy 13 usually has the most birth defects.