What are the causes of Marfan Syndrome?
Marfan Syndrome is a genetic disorder. The gene can be passed from any individual parent to any one of his or her children. A few children with the syndrome do not have an affected parent. In these cases, a new genetic mutation occurs in the fetus and the child tends to be more severely affected. Even in cases where the gene is passed from parent to child, the severity of the disease can vary from person to person. About 1 in 10,000 people are affected to at least some degree by Marfan Syndrome. The gene itself is responsible for making fibrillin which is an important component of connective tissue in the body. The gene may be affected in numerous ways and thus explains the different amount of severity found in different patients. Fibrillin is found in the wall of the aorta (explaining the dilation of the aortic root as mentioned above) and in the fibers that hold the lens of the eye in place (explaining the dislocation of the lens seen in these patients).
