Can boys be born with Turner syndrome?

Generally, no. Turner syndrome is a chromosomal condition diagnosed in girls and women. According to MedlinePlus Genetics from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, it occurs when cells have one normal X chromosome and the other sex chromosome is missing or structurally altered. A typical boy carries one X and one Y chromosome, so a boy with that pair does not have Turner syndrome.

Turner syndrome affects about 1 in 2,000 female newborns worldwide. About half of cases involve monosomy X (45,X), meaning each cell has only one X chromosome; other cases involve a partially missing or rearranged X, or mosaicism, where only some cells are affected. Most cases are not inherited and arise from a random error in cell division.

Source: MedlinePlus Genetics, “Turner syndrome”

Image: 45,X karyotype, The cat~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Related answers



Leave a Comment