How to Identify the Genetic Medical Condition Marfan Syndrome

Marfan Syndrome is a genetic condition that is characterized by a tall frame and long arms and long thin fingers. It is a connective tissue disorder, and there are many in the medical community today who think that Abraham Lincoln may have had Marfan Syndrome, while others believe he had a similar disorder, but not Marfan. A French doctor, Antoine Marfan, first defined Marfan Syndrome in 1896, but the genetic marker was not discovered until 1991.

Things You'll Need

• Reading skills
• A desire to learn about a little-known disease.

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Instructions

• 1

  KNOW that your body build is important in diagnosing Marfan Syndrome and related genetic medical conditions. Having a tall thin frame and long arms and fingers is a characteristic of Marfan Syndrome, but there are many people in the world today who have Marfan Syndrome and do not know about this serious genetic medical condition.

• 2

  FIND out your family history. Since Marfan Syndrome is a connective tissue genetic medical condition, a family history is helpful. There are sites on the internet that provide a format for developing your family history, and if you believe someone in your family may have Marfan Syndrome or a related illness, you may want to complete a family history.

• 3

  BE AWARE that although Marfan Syndrome affects successive generations, you may still be the first to have it because of the possibility of a gene mutation. There is no danger in being tall and thin, or having long arms and fingers. The danger is in not realizing that you may have Marfan Syndrome and allowing it to progress until the connective tissue disease causes the aorta to tear where it connects to the heart.

• 4

  REALIZE the importance of checking with a doctor if you might have Marfan Syndrome. Once a patient is alerted to the possibility of this genetic medical condition and a diagnosis is made, surgery can be performed to prevent the aorta tearing that causes almost certain death.

  If you know someone in your family who is tall, thin, with long arms and fingers, you might want to do some research on this progressive disease. Many Marfan Syndrome patients have eye problems, too, and many have weak ankles. Once a family history is completed, it is often possible to see a trend in your family history of people who have died of HEART DISEASE. This may be a key, because this may be the undiagnosed genetic medical condition Marfan Syndrome.