MARFAN'S SYNDROME

also called arachnodactyly rare hereditary disorder of connective-tissue development in humans that affects several body systems, most notably the skeleton, heart, and eye. Affected individuals are tall, their limbs are long and thin, their fingers are long and may be described as spider-like, and there is a tendency to double-jointedness. The lens of the eye is dislocated (a diagnostic sign), and there is a high frequency of glaucoma or retinal detachment. The heart muscle has an abnormal composition, and a variety of malfunctions and malformations occur; rupture of the aorta is the commonest cause of death. Depending on the degree of expression of the trait, affected individuals may die at an early age or may live essentially normal lives. Although the basic abnormality of connective tissue cannot be remedied, wound healing occurs normally and surgical correction of some of the defects is practicable.