Marfan’s SyndromeBy Abhi Gollapudi and Matt Pruss

What is it• Marfan's Syndrome is a disorder of the

connective tissue, the tissue that strengthens the body’s structures.

• A despise that is characterized by elongated bones (especially of the limbs and digits) and abnormalities of the eyes and circulatory system.

Symptoms• People with Marfan's Syndrome are usually

tall with long, thin arms and legs and spiderlike fingers. Then they stretch their arms and are usually longer then their height.

Symptoms Cont.• A chest that sinks in or sticks out- funnel chest or pigeon breast.• Flat feet• High arched palate and crowded teeth• Hypotonia• Joints that are to flexible • Learning disabilities• Movement of the lens of the eye fro its normal position

(dislocation)• Nearsightedness• Small lower jaw• Spine that curves to one side (Scoliosis)• Thin narrow face It is estimated that 1 in 5,000 people in the United States have this disorder

Treatment• Vision problems can be treated when possible• Take care of scoliosis when possible • Medicine to slow the heart rate helps prevent stress on the

Aorta • Avoid participating in contact sports, and surgery may be

needed to replace aortic root and valve• Before dental appointments, people with Marfan's Syndrome

have to take medicine to be safe from Endocarditis• Pregnant woman must also be carefully monitored because of

the huge amounts of stress on their heart.

How It’s Inherited • Marfan's syndrome is caused by a defect in the Filrillin-

1 gene. The Filrillin-1 gene is the building block for elastic tissue in the body.

• Marfan's syndrome is inherited which means it is passes down through the families.

• A person has a 50% chance in inheriting the disease if a family member is diagnosed with it.

• However up to 30% of cases have no family history. Such cases are called “sporadic”. In sporadic cases, it effects everyone in different ways.

Bibliography • Englert, Chad Chad Haldeman. "Marfan

Syndrome - PubMed Health." Pubmed Health. 10 May 2010. Web. 02 June 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001455/>.

• http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=marfan's%20syndrome