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One of the most common genetic disorders among adults is Marfan syndrome, occurring in one in every 5,000 people nationwide. It affects the connective tissue and most people with Marfan have problems with their blood vessels and heart, especially the heart valves.

The valves get stretched out like an old elastic waist band, becoming floppy and often leaky. Such leaks create a “heart murmur” which doctors can hear with a stethoscope and can easily see with an echocardiogram, or ultrasound of the heart. Outward symptoms of a problem valve include unexplained fatigue, fast or irregular heart rate, and shortness of breath. Patients with such aortic dilation are at risk of a rupture or tear in the heart’s main artery, or even sudden death.

Stretched out aortic valves can be replaced with either tissue valves or mechanical valves during an open heart surgery. HealthGrades, an independent health care ratings organization, rated the Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital as one of the best heart surgery programs in California and as the best in the Fresno area for overall cardiac services.

For more information on cardiac services, contact the Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital and Community Medical Centers.

For more information on Marfan syndrome, the characteristics, support resources and a checklist of common problems logon to www.marfan.org.

For more information about this topic, please e-mail or call us at (559) 459-6204.

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