About 90% of Marfan patients will develop cardiac complications.
Marfan syndrome causes an increase in the length of the patient's bones, with decreased support from the ligaments that hold the bones together.
In patients with Marfan, it is the abnormal mitral valve that is most likely to become infected.
Marfan syndrome affects males and females equally, and appears to be distributed equally among all races and ethnic groups.
Smoking is particularly harmful for Marfan patients because it increases their risk of emphysema.
Marfan patients often develop striae over the shoulders, hips, and lower back at an early age because of rapid bone growth. Although the patient may be self-conscious about the striae, they are not a danger to health.
Myopia (nearsightedness). Most patients with Marfan develop nearsightedness, usually in childhood.
The treatment and management of Marfan is tailored to the specific symptoms of each patient. Some patients find that the syndrome has little impact on their overall lifestyle; others have found their lives centered on the disorder.
This condition is much more prevalent in patients with Marfan syndrome than in the general population.
Although pectus carinatum does not cause breathing difficulties, it can cause embarassment about appearance.
The inheritance of Marfan syndrome is an example of an autosomal dominant genetic disorder. This means that a person only needs to inherit one copy of the mutated gene from a parent to develop the syndrome.
Marfan syndrome is found in 1 in every 5,000 - 10,000 births. If one of your parents has Marfan syndrome, you have a 50% chance of having Marfan syndrome.