What are the symptoms of Marfan syndrome?
The Marfan syndrome can affect in different ways. Some people have mild symptoms and others have serious problems. Most often the symptoms get worse as you get older.
The skeleton
People with Marfan syndrome are often very tall and thin, have very loose joints or flexible and can have:
* Bones that are longer than normal (eg arms, legs, fingers and toes)
* Long, narrow face
* Crowded teeth because arched palate
* Swollen sternum outward or inward as a hole
* Curved spine
* Flat feet.
The heart and blood vessels
Most people with Marfan syndrome have heart problems and blood vessels, such as:
* Weakness of the aorta (the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the body). The aorta can tear or rupture.
* Leaky heart valves, causing a “heart murmur. A large leak can cause shortness of breath, tiredness and a rapid or irregular heartbeat.
Eyes
Some people with Marfan syndrome have eye problems, including:
Myopia *
* Glaucoma (high pressure inside the eye) at a young age
Cataracts * (the lens becomes opaque)
* Dislocation of one or both lenses of the eye
* Detachment of the retina of the eye.