Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a disorder that weakens the connective tissues within the body. Connective tissues support the bones, skin, blood vessels and in turn internal organs are effected. This syndrome can range in severity from mild to life threatening and about 1 in 5,000 people with 10 different types of this genetic disorder are affected worldwide. My interest was struck in this syndrome when I was caring for a patient who was a former nurse who is now severely effected by this disease. There are people that I care for in my nursing career that make an impression on me, this woman was going to have open heart surgery because of this disease. Her positivity was very inspirational this disease will take her life if she does not get surgery. Not only is her vascular system affected she has other symptoms such as her skin and joints. This paper will further explain the genetics related to this syndrome.
Symptoms of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome …show more content…
The skin will feel very soft and almost velvety when touched. With that the skin is very fragile and will not heal well if injured, bruising is often present. The connective tissue that is used to hold joint together is looser, this will cause joints to be able to move far past the normal range of motion. The different types of EDS have different symptoms, for example when the vascular system is affected the skin is very thin and bruises easily however they have the most serious form of the disease. The aorta can weaken and rupture causing death. The arteries that feed the kidneys and spleen can also rupture, this can also be fatal. According to the Mayo Clinic The vascular subtype also can weaken the walls of the uterus or large intestines — which may also