Overview
Famous people with Marfan syndrome are quite easy to recognize because they are usually tall and thin with long arms, legs, fingers, and toes.
Marfan syndrome is a genetically inherited disorder that affects the connective tissues of the human body. What is connective tissue – connective tissue is the type of fibers which connect and supports the organ of our body and different structures.
Marfan syndrome generally affects the heart of the patient, eyes, bones, and blood vessels are also common to be affected.
All Marfan syndrome is not dangerous. If this syndrome affects the aorta of the heart, then it can be life-threatening.
Treatment of Marfan syndrome includes medication to control blood pressure. Regular follow-ups to the doctor are necessary. When the condition is severe, some people need to undergo surgery to fix the aorta and such connective tissues.
We’ll discuss more the Marfan syndrome later in this article. Now we’ll know some famous people with Marfan syndrome.
Most Famous People With Marfan Syndrome
Some Marfan syndrome patients eagerly want to know that if there is anyone with Marfan syndrome like himself. This section is for you, you are not alone. There are so many people with Marfan syndrome. Some of them are famous and you know them.
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Micheal Phelps
We all know about him. He is a legendary swimmer and with some controversy, he is the best swimmer of all time. He won 18 Olympic gold medals and has 39 world records on his name.
Micheal Phelps’s body configuration indicates that he has Marfan syndrome. But he continuously denied it in the media.
With a height of 1.93 m and extremely long arms and legs, he is an interesting case of study for some medical experts. Experts of John Hopkins studied him for quite a long time.
Whether he has Marfan syndrome or not, he is a fantastic athlete with so many achievements. Nothing can stop a man like him.
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Abraham Lincoln
Who doesn’t know him? The 16th president of the United States of America. He is familiar to everybody with a tall figure with quite a long head shape and other signs related to Marfan syndrome.
Although he has the classic signs of Marfan syndrome, there is no certain evidence for that. Some people and journalists show interest in this fact, but the answer came out as lack of nutrition.
He is one of the best presidents of the USA. If he has the syndrome, it cannot stop him. He is an unstoppable fantastic human being.
Julius Caesar
Julius Ceaser was the emperor of Rome. His lifetime was 100 BC to 44 BC. He was a great leader with a sharp brain and tactics of war and winning countries.
He shows the signs of Marfan syndrome. A tall person with long arms and legs with quite long fingers quite surely indicating the Marfan syndrome. But he didn’t stop by this disorder. He had won many empires and ruled many kings and lands.
Though he wasn’t died by this disorder, he died in a meeting of the senate. He was killed by some of his senators. They stabbed him 23 times.
John Tavener
He is the composer of “The whale” and “Song for Athene”. This British composer is famous for his musical works. He was suffering from Marfan syndrome for quite a long time.
As we mentioned earlier, this disorder can be life-threatening if it affects the aorta of the heart. John Tavener had two heart attacks because of this disorder.
He was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome in 1990 and lived with this for about 23 years. He died in 2013 at the age of 69.
Bradford Cox
He is a member of the famous band “The Deerhunter”. By profession, he is a guitarist, musician, singer, and actor.
He was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome at an early age. His face is different, and he can’t make many friends in his early life. People take time to accept him.
Despite all these things, he is a successful musician and actor. He appears in the movie named “Dallas buyers club”.
Jonathan Larson
He is popular for his fantastic composition and playwriting. He was successful in his field.
His Marfan syndrome was undiagnosed for long period. Which cost him death earlier. His family said he used to complain about his unnatural chest pain.
When he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, it was quite late. He died just before the premiere of his musical show “Rent”.
Vincent Schiavelli
Vincent Schiavelli was an actor. He is quite popular for his character in “One flew over the cuckoo’s nest”.
This Italian-American actor was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome which was affecting his lungs. He was one of the members of the National Marfan Foundation. This foundation is working for people with Marfan syndrome.
Nicollo Paganini
He was famous for his violin knowledge and music. He was the inspiration for famous violin musician Rachmaninov! Who composed the “The Rhapsody”.
The Marfan syndrome helped this man with long fingers. He created some fantastic violin notes. The genius musician was quite blessed by the Marfan syndrome.
Sergei Rachmaninov
He was a genius at playing the piano. He was also quite blessed by the Marfan syndrome. With long fingers, he created some best orchestras of the century.
Because of Marfan syndrome, he suffered from severe back pain. Which hindered his career at later ages.
He was one of the best pianists of 19-20th centuries.
Javier Botet
He is an Spanish actor. He is famous for his appearance in the movie “The Mummy”. Besides that he also done so many movies and dramas.
He was diagnosed with the Marfan syndrome at the age of 5. But this cannot stop him from achieving his successful career in the Hollywood and theatres.
Now after reading up to this point, we know some famous people with Marfan syndrome. It’s time to know a little about the Marfan syndrome itself.
The Marfan Syndrome
Marfan syndrome is an inherited disorder that affects the connective tissues of the body. Connective tissues support, anchor, and connect the organs, blood vessels, heart valves, and other important parts of the body.
People with Marfan syndrome are lack strength because their connective tissues become weak. Marfan syndrome can affect the eye, lungs, skin, nervous system, heart, and also blood vessels.
If the Marfan syndrome affects the valve of the heart or the aorta, this can be life-threatening.
Symptoms
The signs of the Marfan syndrome vary from person to person. Still, there are some common signs which can be present almost in all individuals who are affected.
- Tall and thin body shape
- Unusually long arms, legs, fingers, and toes.
- An unusual curvature of the spine
- No space between teeth (crowded)
- Feet are quite flat
- Heart sounds murmur
- There can be some stretch marks
Causes
Marfan syndrome is an inherited disorder. That means it’s transferred from the parents. If the parents are affected by this syndrome, there is a 50% chance that their children will be affected too.
There is no gender difference in this disorder. Both men and women are equally affected.
Diagnosis
Marfan syndrome is present in the person from birth but the diagnosis is not possible during the birth. The diagnosis is possible when the person is in his/her adolescence.
Though the Marfan syndrome changes the same gene in every person, the signs and symptoms can be quite different.
The diagnosis of this disorder includes some steps and methods.
Physical Examination
In the physical examination, the doctor will checkup the body, will ask you some questions about you and your health conditions. The doctor will search for any external signs and symptoms.
In the physical examination, the doctor may ask you about your family history of Marfan syndrome.
For better diagnosis and exclude the diagnosis, the doctor may recommend you some testing.
Such as;
- X-ray
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Genetic testing
- Echocardiogram
Although it’s rare, some doctors may want you to do some more tests such as;
- MRI
- CT Scan
Treatment
The treatment depends on the area which is affected by the disorder. If the eyes are affected, the treatment plan will focus on the eyes.
Most of the complications caused by this disorder are easy to treat and are not fatal.
If the complications are undiagnosed and affect the heart and lungs for a long time, then it can be dangerous.
The treatment plan includes;
- Medication
- Surgery
- For eyes – glasses, lenses, or surgery
- Heart valve repair
- If the bones are affected they may need bone surgery
Complications
- Damage to the aorta
- Prolapse of the mitral valves
- Dislocation of the lens of the eye
- Glaucoma
- Cataracts
- Complications in the retina
- Pregnancy complications
- Bone issues
Summary
Marfan syndrome is a quite rare genetically inherited disorder. This affects people’s connective tissues. The affected individuals may face many complications in their lifetime. But when a person is willing to do something, nothing can really stop them. There are so many famous people with Marfan syndromes who prove that.
Last Updated on April 13, 2022 by Learn From Doctor Team
