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Rett Syndrome

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Atlas of Genetic Diagnosis and Counseling

Abstract

Rett syndrome (RTT), a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting girls almost exclusively, was first described by Rett (1966) in 1966. The disorder now bears his name and became widely known after a report of 35 cases by Hagberg et al. (1983). The prevalence is estimated to be 1/10,000–1/15,000 female births (Hagberg 1985); over 95 % of cases arise de novo due to the fact that most females with Rett syndrome do not reproduce. Rett syndrome is considered to be one of the most common genetic causes of mental retardation in girls, second only to Down syndrome.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Genetics, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Shreveport, LA, USA

    Harold Chen

  2. Perinatal and Clinical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, LSU Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71130, USA

    Harold Chen

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  1. Harold Chen
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Correspondence to Harold Chen .

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Chen, H. (2016). Rett Syndrome. In: Atlas of Genetic Diagnosis and Counseling. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6430-3_202-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6430-3_202-2

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6430-3

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