Pathogenesis of congenital defects associated with Turner's syndrome: the role of hypoalbuminemia and edema.

Studies of prenatal fetuses with 45,X Turner syndrome have allowed for plausible hypotheses of how their pitting edema may lead to production of the associated congenital defects found in the condition. Hypoalbuminemia in these fetuses which are only about one-sixth the levels found in newborns and one-third the level in "control" fetuses may explain the edema. Malformation of the ear, hairline, neck webbing, nipples, coarctation, nails and horseshoe kidney can be related to embryonic and fetal deformation from edema.