Marfan’s Syndrome

Marfan syndrome is a condition in which your body's connective tissue is abnormal. Connective tissue helps support all parts of your body. It also helps control how your body grows and develops.Marfan syndrome can cause many eye problems. A common problem is a dislocated lens in one or both of the eyes. In this condition, the lens (the part of the eye that helps focus light) shifts up, down, or to the side. Other eye complications of Marfan syndrome include nearsightedness, early glaucoma (high pressure in the fluid in the eyes), and early cataracts (clouding of an eye's lens). A detached retina also can occur.

Cause and Implications

Marfan is an inherited condition, so the affected person is born with it, and since it is inherited it may affect more than one family member.However, sometimes it is caused by a mutation in the genes of one individual and will only affect that person and probably his children in the future.

Marfan syndrome affects different people in different ways. Some people have only mild symptoms, while others are more severely affected. In most cases, the symptoms progress as the person ages. The body systems most often affected by Marfan syndrome are:

  • Skeleton - Because Marfan syndrome affects the long bones of the skeleton, a person's arms, legs, fingers, and toes may be disproportionately long in relation to the rest of the body. A person with Marfan syndrome often has a long, narrow face, and the roof of the mouth may be arched, causing the teeth to be crowded. Other skeletal problems include a sternum that is either protruding or indented, curvature of the spine (scoliosis), and flat feet.
  • Eyes - More than half of all people with Marfan syndrome experience dislocation of one or both lenses of the eye. The lens may be slightly higher or lower than normal, and may be shifted off to one side. The dislocation may be minimal, or it may be pronounced and obvious. One serious complication that may occur with this disorder is retinal detachment. Many people with Marfan syndrome are also nearsighted, and some can develop early glaucomaor cataracts.
  • Heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular system) - Because of faulty connective tissue, the wall of the aorta (the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body) may be weakened and stretch, a process called aortic dilatation. Aortic dilatation increases the risk that the aorta will tear (aortic dissection) or rupture, causing serious heart problems or sometimes sudden death.
  • Nervous system - The brain and spinal cord are surrounded by fluid contained by a membrane called the dura, which is composed of connective tissue. As someone with Marfan syndrome gets older, the dura often weakens and stretches, then begins to weigh on the vertebrae in the lower spine and wear away the bone surrounding the spinal cord. These changes may cause only mild discomfort; or they may lead to radiated pain in the abdomen; or to pain, numbness, or weakness in the legs.
  • Skin - Many people with Marfan syndrome develop stretch marks on their skin, even without any weight change. These stretch marks can occur at any age and pose no health risk.
  • Lungs- Although connective tissue problems make the tiny air sacs within the lungs less elastic, people with Marfan syndrome generally do not experience noticeable problems with their lungs. If, however, these tiny air sacs become stretched or swollen, the risk of lung collapse may increase.

Treatment

Marfan syndrome has no cure. However, treatments can help delay or prevent complications, especially when started early. Marfan syndrome can affect many parts of your body, including your heart, bones and joints, eyes, nervous system, and lungs. The type of treatment you receive will depend on your signs and symptoms.

Eye Treatments

Marfan syndrome can lead to many eye problems, such as a dislocated lens, nearsightedness, early glaucoma (high pressure in the fluid in the eyes), and cataracts (clouding of an eye's lens).

Glasses or contact lenses can help with some of these problems. Sometimes surgery is needed.

References:

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Marfan Syndrome. (2010, July 20). Retrieved

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Maumenee, I.H. (1981). The Eye in the Marfan

Syndrome.Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society,79. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from

What is Marfan Syndrome?(2010, October).

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Fact Sheet Developed by Silvia G. Gonzalez