Ring chromosome 21 is a rare chromosome abnormality in which the ends of chromosome 21 join together to form a ring shape. Many people with Ring chromosome 21 have normal development and are healthy, having been diagnosed after having chromosome testing due to infertility, multiple miscarriages, or a child with a chromosome abnormality. However, others with Ring chromosome 21 have developmental and/or medical problems which can range from mild to severe. This is due to having extra or missing genetic material on the ring chromosome, which can happen when the ring chromosome forms. Signs and symptoms of Ring chromosome 21 that may be present can include short stature, delayed puberty in males, small head size, seizures, learning disabilities, underdeveloped sex organs, susceptibility to infections, and/or a variety of birth defects. Some people have signs and symptoms similar to those that occur in people with Down syndrome (also known as Trisomy 21). Ring chromosome 21 may be inherited from a parent (typically the mother), or it may occur sporadically (by chance) during the formation of egg or sperm cells or shortly after the egg and sperm join together. A chromosome test of the parents can help determine whether it was inherited and whether future children have an increased chance to have a chromosome abnormality.
Summary
Ring chromosome 21 is a rare chromosome abnormality in which the ends of chromosome 21 join together to form a ring shape. Many people with Ring chromosome 21 have normal development and are healthy, having been diagnosed after having chromosome testing due to infertility, multiple miscarriages, or a child with a chromosome abnormality. However, others with Ring chromosome 21 have developmental and/or medical problems which can range from mild to severe. This is due to having extra or missing genetic material on the ring chromosome, which can happen when the ring chromosome forms. Signs and symptoms of Ring chromosome 21 that may be present can include short stature, delayed puberty in males, small head size, seizures, learning disabilities, underdeveloped sex organs, susceptibility to infections, and/or a variety of birth defects. Some people have signs and symptoms similar to those that occur in people with Down syndrome (also known as Trisomy 21). Ring chromosome 21 may be inherited from a parent (typically the mother), or it may occur sporadically (by chance) during the formation of egg or sperm cells or shortly after the egg and sperm join together. A chromosome test of the parents can help determine whether it was inherited and whether future children have an increased chance to have a chromosome abnormality.Ring chromosome 21 is a rare chromosome abnormality in which the ends of chromosome 21 join together to form a ring shape. Many people with Ring chromosome 21 have normal development and are healthy, having been diagnosed after having chromosome testing due to infertility, multiple miscarriages, or a child with a chromosome abnormality. However, others with Ring chromosome 21 have developmental and/or medical problems which can range from mild to severe. This is due to having extra or missing genetic material on the ring chromosome, which can happen when the ring chromosome forms. Signs and symptoms of Ring chromosome 21 that may be present can include short stature, delayed puberty in males, small head size, seizures, learning disabilities, underdeveloped sex organs, susceptibility to infections, and/or a variety of birth defects. Some people have signs and symptoms similar to those that occur in people with Down syndrome (also known as Trisomy 21). Ring chromosome 21 may be inherited from a parent (typically the mother), or it may occur sporadically (by chance) during the formation of egg or sperm cells or shortly after the egg and sperm join together. A chromosome test of the parents can help determine whether it was inherited and whether future children have an increased chance to have a chromosome abnormality.
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Resource(s) for Medical Professionals and Scientists on This Disease:
Orphanetprovides GARD with information for this disease.
About Ring chromosome 21 syndrome
Many rare diseases have limited information. Currently, GARD aims to provide the following information for this disease:
Population Estimate:This section is currently indevelopment.
Symptoms:May start to appear during Pregnancy and as a Newborn.
Cause:This disease is caused by changes to the number or structure of a person’s chromosomes.
Organizations:Patient organizations are available to help find a specialist, or advocacy and support for this specific disease.
Categories:Birth DefectsGenetic Diseases
When Do Symptoms of Ring chromosome 21 syndrome Begin?
Symptoms of this disease may start to appear during Pregnancy and as a Newborn.
The age symptoms may begin to appear differs between diseases. Symptoms may begin in a single age range, or during several age ranges. The symptoms of some diseases may begin at any age. Knowing when symptoms may have appeared can help medical providers find the correct diagnosis.
Prenatal Selected
Before Birth
Newborn Selected
Birth-4 weeks
Infant
1-23 months
Child
2-11 years
Adolescent
12-18 years
Adult
19-65 years
Older Adult
65+ years
Symptoms may start to appear during Pregnancy and as a Newborn.
Symptoms
The types of symptoms experienced, and their intensity, may vary among people with this disease. Your experience may be different from others. Consult your health care team for more information.
The following describes the symptom(s) associated with this disease along with the corresponding body system(s), description, synonyms, and frequency (Note: Not all possible symptoms may be listed):
28 Symptoms
28 Symptoms
28 Symptoms
Body Systems
Symptoms related to this disease may affect different systems of the body. Use the 'Filter and Sort' function to learn more about which body system(s) are affected by this disease and their associated symptom(s).
Medical Term
Abnormal facial shape
Frequency
Uncommon
Very frequent
Very frequent
Always
Description
An abnormal morphology (form) of the face or its components.
Ring chromosome 21 syndrome is caused by genetic mutations, also known as pathogenic variants. Genetic mutations can be hereditary, when parents pass them down to their children, or they may occur randomly when cells are dividing. Genetic mutations may also result from contracted viruses, environmental factors, such as UV radiation from sunlight exposure, or a combination of any of these. Learn more about genetic diseases from the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
If you suspect you may have this disease, you may want to start collecting your family health history. Information such as other family members who have had similar symptoms, when their/your symptoms first appeared, or exposures to any potential disease-causing environmental factors should be discussed with your medical team. This tool from the Surgeon General can help you collect your family health history.
Find Your Community
How Can Patient Organizations Help?
Patient organizations can help patients and families connect. They build public awareness of the disease and are a driving force behind research to improve patients' lives. They may offer online and in-person resources to help people live well with their disease. Many collaborate with medical experts and researchers.
Services of patient organizations differ, but may include:
Ways to connect to others and share personal stories
Easy-to-read information
Up-to-date treatment and research information
Patient registries
Lists of specialists or specialty centers
Financial aid and travel resources
Please note: GARD provides organizations for informational purposes only and not as an endorsement of their services. Please contact an organization directly if you have questions about the information or resources it provides.
Clinical studies are part of clinical research and play an important role in medical advances, including for rare diseases. Through clinical studies, researchers may ultimately uncover better ways to treat, prevent, diagnose, and understand human diseases.
What Are Clinical Studies?
Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:
Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.
People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.
To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.
What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?
ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.
Join the All of Us Research Program!
The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.
What Are Clinical Studies?
Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:
Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.
People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.
To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.
To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.
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What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?
ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.
Join the All of Us Research Program!
The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.
ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.
Contact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.
Use the contact form to send your questions to a GARD Information Specialist.
Please allow 2 to 10 business days for us to respond.
ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.
Contact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.
Take steps toward getting a diagnosis by working with your doctor, finding the right specialists, and coordinating medical care.
GARD collects data from a variety of sources to populate its website and provide accurate and reliable information on rare diseases.
GARD uses data collected from Orphanet and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) to interpret and provide information on rare diseases. This includes names, synonyms, genes, symptom frequency, population estimates and more.
Orphanet is an online database of rare diseases and orphan drugs that provides aggregated data coordinated by INSERM-US14 in Paris.