What is Monosomy 9p?
Monosomy 9p is also called 9p minus and Alfi’s syndrome. It is an extremely rare genetic disorder with an estimated 125 people with the condition in the US. The chromosome distortion that causes monosomy 9p concerns the ninth chromosome. People with this condition have one instead of two ninth chromosomes. This deletion leads to a variety of conditions and complications. Since the condition is so rare, there are few studies regarding it. What can be said about monosomy 9p is that the missing chromosome causes a number of symptoms to emerge, and that geneticists believe the deletion of the chromosome occurs very early in the fetal growth process, and has no identifiable cause. People with monosomy 9p are likely to have distorted facial features, very similar to those children with Down syndrome. The nose is normally flat, with flared out nostrils, the eyelid folds slant upward, and the forehead may be wide. As with Down syndrome, stature tends to be short. Mild to severe mental retardat
