Can Down syndrome be inherited?
Most cases of Down syndrome are not inherited. When the condition is caused by trisomy 21, the chromosomal abnormality occurs as a random event during the formation of reproductive cells. The abnormality usually occurs in egg cells, but it occasionally occurs in sperm cells. An error in cell division called nondisjunction results in a reproductive cell with an abnormal number of chromosomes. For example, an egg or sperm cell may gain an extra copy of chromosome 21. If one of these atypical reproductive cells contributes to the genetic makeup of a child, the child will have an extra chromosome 21 in each of the body’s cells. Mosaic Down syndrome is also not inherited. It occurs as a random event during cell division early in fetal development. As a result, some of the body’s cells have the usual two copies of chromosome 21, and other cells have three copies of this chromosome. Translocation Down syndrome can be inherited. An unaffected person can carry a rearrangement of genetic materia
