How is Marfan syndrome passed on?
Most people with Marfan syndrome inherit the faulty gene from a parent who already has the disorder. A child can inherit the syndrome even if only one parent has the condition. This is because Marfan syndrome is an autosomal dominant condition, which means both parents do not have to have the faulty gene in order to pass it on. Therefore, if you have Marfan syndrome, you have a 50% chance of passing the condition on to your child. Approximately 25% of people with Marfan syndrome do not have a parent with the condition. The reason for this is that, in some cases, the fibrillin gene can mutate for the first time in the egg, or sperm, of a parent. Although the parent will not develop the condition, the mutated gene can sometimes be passed on to the child.
