Beckie+R

**Marfan's Syndrome**

 * Description of the disease: Marfan's Syndrome is an inherited disorder that affects connective tissue and effects the skeletal,**
 * ocular, and cardiovascular systems.**
 * Initial Symptoms:**
 * **Tall and slender build**
 * **Heart murmurs**
 * **Flat feet**
 * **A curved spine**
 * **Extreme nearsightedess**
 * Common Treatments: There is generally no cure but if it is diagnosised early, and with proper treatment and careful management, life expectancy can be**
 * till 70's. Without treatment or help, people with Marfan's Syndrome tend to live into their 40's. What doctors can do is prescribe drugs that lower blood pressure to keep the aorta from growing and rupturing.**
 * Side effects:**
 * **Aortic aneurysm**
 * **Aortic dissection**
 * **Valve malformations**
 * **Eye complications**
 * **Lung complications**
 * **Pregnacy complications**
 * Prevention/ control of disease: There is no prevention from getting Marfan's Syndrome. Since it is a autosomal dominant gene, if it is passed down to you from a parent, you will get this disease. If it is diagnosised early, then there is treatment that can help you but overall there is no cure.**
 * Chromosome associated with disease: The chromosome associated with Marfan's Syndrome is chromosome 15.**
 * How is the disease inherited: Marfan's Syndrome is inherited autosomal dominant gene. An autosomal dominant gene means that the person with Marfan's Syndrome had one copy of the mutated gene and one normal gene. If one parent is homozygous dominant for Marfan's Syndrome (DD) then any offsprings will get the disease because that is the only gene that the parents can pass down to the offspring. If both parents are heterozygous (Dd) then the odds of an offspring getting Marfan's Syndrome is a 50-50 chance.**
 * Population with disease: There are about 200,000 people living in the United States that are living with Marfan's Syndrome.**

**FUN FACT**

 * Michael Phelps has Marfan's Syndrome!**