What Marfan Syndrome Looks Like

You may not always be able to tell when someone has Marfan Syndrome, since with modern medicine and technology, many lead completely normal lives. The disorder only expresses itself with the physical deformities it carries, and does not affect the intelligence and thinking of the individual whatsoever. So what exactly does Marfan Syndrome look like?

Generally, people with Marfan Syndrome will have similar physical characteristics. As stated in my previous post, observable traits include a very tall, thin physique, with disproportionately long and flexible limbs, fingers, and toes. Usually, their arm span will be longer than their height. A narrow chest with either a caved in or protruding deformity, flat feet, a high arched palate (dental), and spinal curve may all be present, though it varies greatly.

Here are some examples of minor cases of Marfan Syndrome, with less recognizable characteristics. These individuals may seem more like they're just a little on the skinny side, and less like the carriers of a genetic disorder.

The long and thin fingers of a 13-year-old patient with Marfan Syndrome (Source)

The Steinberg sign and Walker-Murdoch sign, two hand signs used to evaluate joint mobility in Marfan patients (Source)

A 13-year-old boy with Marfan Syndrome (Source)

To demonstrate the wide range of the symptoms, here are some cases of severe Marfan Syndrome.

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An adolescent with Marfan Syndrome (Source)

Unaffected hands compared to the hands in Marfan Syndrome (Source)

Scoliosis associated with Marfan Syndrome (Source)

High arched palate in a Marfan's patient (Source)

Dislocated lens in Marfan's patient (Source)

Also, check out this video (Source) of an interview with a lovely woman who has Marfan Syndrome explaining and demonstrating her physical symptoms: