Journal

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

A case that really stood out this week was that of a patient who had a condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). He was visiting the department for a pelvis x-ray that had been requested by his general practitioner due to him suffering from pain in his hips.

Before the examination I familiarised myself with the patients past medical history in order to see if any previous pelvis examinations had been performed. It transpired that, as a result of his condition, there had been many previous
examinations. The x-ray went well and I was able to obtain a very good image. After viewing the image I could not see any obvious pathology or degenerative changes and advised him to return to his GP in 7 to 10 days.

Since I had no previous knowledge of this condition I decided to do some research to find out more about its causes and how it affects people. During my research I discovered that Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) encompasses several
types of inherited connective tissue disorders. This connective tissue provides support to parts of the body such as the skin and muscles but in EDS sufferers, the collagen that gives strength and elasticity to connective tissue, is faulty. This results in hyper-elastic skin which is very fragile and bruises easily, excessive looseness of the joints, blood vessels that are easily damaged and, very rarely, rupture of internal organs.

There are six major types of EDS, categorised according to signs and symptoms, and the condition can range in severity from mild to life-threatening. All types affect the joints and most also affect the skin. Some of the more prominent signs and symptoms include joints that extend beyond the normal range of movement, and skin that’s especially stretchy or fragile.

This condition is relatively uncommon. The frequency of its occurrence depends on the type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. If a doctor suspects this condition they will generally refer the patient to a geneticist to determine the specific
type.

Currently there is no cure for EDS, and treatment usually focuses on managing the signs and symptoms of the particular type. After researching this condition it was apparent to me why the patient has had many previous examinations. This
condition can have many complications ranging from joint dislocations, fragile skin, excessive bleeding, gastrointestinal haemorrhage and a dissecting aneurysm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 2:37 pm and is filed under Reflectives. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.