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Need some help here. (Medical prefered)
Posted: 2004-05-20 05:48pm
by Straha
Right, as some of you may/may not know I've had some medical issues of late. Now, after coming back from the docs again it seems all but official that I have Marfans.
Now, could some of you kind people who know more about this then I do give me the straight dope on what Marfans (sp?) syndrome is please...
Posted: 2004-05-20 05:51pm
by Zac Naloen
well.. according to google its genetic... 1 in 3000-5000 or something like that.
Posted: 2004-05-20 08:27pm
by SecondStorm
Im sorry to hear that.
A friend of mine has Marfan syndrome. And rather severely.
Marfan is a genetic disease and theres a 50% chance that your children inherit it. In 15% of the cases the cause is a mutation meaning that your body develops it itself.
Common symptoms with Marfan syndrome:
Crooked back
Very tall
Long limbs and fingers
Cardiovascular problems
Severe near-sightedness glaucoma and retinal detachment
Striae (stretch marks)
There are other I cannot recall at the moments but these are the major ones.
These symptoms comes in degrees of severity and most patients do not have them all.
My friend had a pace-maker implanted when he was 18 and exhibits most of the symptoms.
Straha as I said it depends on the severity. You might be lucky and only exhibit a few of those symptoms.
Posted: 2004-05-21 12:31am
by Straha
SecondStorm wrote:Straha as I said it depends on the severity. You might be lucky and only exhibit a few of those symptoms.
Sadly, no, nearly all of those apply to me.
I'm more concerned over the fact that what the doctor told me seemed like it could be pretty bad, and knowing doctors I know he was either putting it in a really good light or trying to scare the shit out of me, but I don't know which one is the case. Thanks for the help so far.
Posted: 2004-05-21 10:55am
by Tsyroc
MayoClinic.com wrote:Signs and symptoms of Marfan syndrome may include:
* Unusually tall
* Arm span exceeds body height
* Unusually long fingers and toes (arachnodactyly)
* Deformity of the breastbone (sternum) and spine
* Excessively flexible joints
* Dislocation of the eye lens
* Enlargement of the aorta near the heart (aortic aneurysm)
* Leakage of the aortic valve of the heart
The main health threat for people with Marfan syndrome is cardiovascular complications. With early diagnosis and appropriate management, the life expectancy for a person with Marfan syndrome is normal.