Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017) - Overview of Genetics and Genomics in Nursing Related

Review Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017) - Overview of Genetics and Genomics in Nursing related questions and content

What factor describes the etiology of this genetic change?

  • A. The mother also has genetic mutation of chromosome 21.
  • B. The patient has a nondisjunction occurring during meiosis.
  • C. During meiosis, a reduction of chromosomes resulted in 23.
  • D. The patient will have a single X chromosome and infertility.
Correct Answer: B

Rationale: During meiosis, a pair of chromosomes may fail to separate completely, creating a sperm or oocyte that contains either two copies or no copy of a particular chromosome. This sporadic event, called nondisjunction, can lead to trisomy. Down syndrome is an example of trisomy. The mother does not have a mutation of chromosome 21, which is indicated in the question. Also, trisomy does not produce a single X chromosome and infertility.