Marfan's and Scoliosis

[HAnn521]

Does anyone else recongnize the condition called Marfan's? Well, I believe if you haven't yet, you very well could!
After hearing that several of you have heard many times that the "average" Scoliosis patient is normally tall and thin...I recalled having Marfan's linked to my scoliosis about the time it was discovered when I was 13. In addition to my scoliosis bracing and treatment, I was sent to a Genetisist and tested for Marfan's...mostly because, as I recall, I had the perfect body type of someone with Marfan's, and having Scoliosis bumped up my chances.
I later learned that they go hand-in-hand. Luckily, I was not diagnosed with Marfan's in the end, but continue to carry characteristics of it....which I've noticed are some of the topics brought up frequently here on the forum, so some of you may want to be aware of this condition...
Characteristics to look for: Scoliosis (of course), long arm length (my arm-span is 4 1/2" longer than my height), being tall and thin (I weighed barely 100 lbs. at 14 with a height of 5' 4"), high flexibility, mild or high joint hyperextensibility (double-jointed), large palm and long fingers. Finally, an echocaridiogram is performed to indicate any heart mumurs or abnormalities, which is a symptom of Marfan's. (this being the only characteristic I did not have)...
So, I'd like to hear from others who may have had had an experience with Marfan's? or I'd be happy to add some info from my personal experience if any of you need to know more about Marfan's and it's link to Scoliosis...

[Gail]

HAnn,

What is Marfan's?

Gail

[HAnn521]

What is Marfan's?

Gail:
Sorry I didn't really give a definition of Marfan's...however, I did describe it pretty well with the list of characteristics I gave...
This should be more helpful: The Marfan syndrome (as it is actually named) is a connective tissue disorder. Connective tissue provides substance and support to tendons, ligaments, blood vessel walls, cartilage, heart valves and many other structures. In the Marfan syndrome, the chemical makeup of the connective tissue isn't normal. As a result, many of these structures aren't as stiff as they should be.

The Marfan syndrome is inherited and affects many parts of the body. There's no single conclusive test for diagnosing it, but people who have it often have many similar traits. Besides perhaps having heart problems, people with the Marfan syndrome are often tall and thin. They also may have slender, tapering fingers, long arms and legs, curvature of the spine and eye problems(which I left out earlier, and I have also had glasses/contacts since childhood). Sometimes the Marfan syndrome is so mild that few (if any) symptoms exist. In the most severe cases, which are rare, life-threatening problems may occur at any age.
Also, try this link to read more about Marfan's and Scoliosis:
http://www.scoliosisassociates.com/s...n=practice1030

Added note: I did just realize that there have been posts on this subject before, so perhaps do a search for those also...

[Gail]

Thanks HAnn! I did do a search on it last night after reading your post. Interesting...

Gail