Marfan's syndrome
- noun
- /mɑrˈfænz ˈsɪnˌdroʊm/
- Specialized
:
síndrome de Marfan
- It is frequently stated that patients with Marfan's syndrome have an arm span greater than height. This implies a characteristic different from the proportions in normal adult men, in whom span and height are often thought to be equal.
- a patient with Marfan's syndrome
Examples
-
People with Marfan's syndrome often have long limbs and fingers, which can make them appear unusually tall.
-
Marfan's syndrome is a connective tissue disorder associated with ocular, cardiovascular, and skeletal abnormalities; it is inherited as an autosomal dominant in 80% of cases.
Academic text (1992) -
Marfan's syndrome, a hole in the heart, a faulty valve, a heart too large, a heart hiding its flaws until the sudden failure.
Fiction book (1997) -
And we found out that my husband had an aortic aneurysm the size of a grapefruit, over 9 cm and growing, and that he had a rare genetic disease: Marfan's syndrome.
Blog text (18) -
Diagnosis of Marfan's syndrome typically involves genetic testing, as it is a hereditary condition affecting connective tissue.
-
Individuals diagnosed with Marfan's syndrome may experience serious cardiovascular issues, such as aortic dissection.
Synonyms
1
4.9
An inherited disorder that often makes people very tall with long limbs and causes heart or eye problems
Surface Forms
Morphology
Marfan's + syndrome
The element 'syndrome' clearly indicates a medical condition and the possessive proper name shows this is an eponymous disorder, so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to some disease. However, the specific characteristics of Marfan's syndrome (unusually long limbs/fingers, eye and heart problems) are not predictable from the name alone, so detailed meaning requires outside knowledge.
Etymology
Marfan's syndrome is named after the French doctor Antoine Marfan, who first described a child with very long arms and fingers. Because of that story, Marfan's syndrome now means a condition that 'runs in families' and causes very long limbs and often heart and eye problems.