Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes: Epidemiology, Signs and Symptoms, and Diagnosis (Research Paper Sample)

Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes
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Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes
One might mistakenly accuse a person of clumsiness and, much worse, carelessness due to their accident-prone nature. Often, such an individual finds it difficult to hold and use objects such as breakable glass or dishes and may be involved in minor accidents involving slipping, loss of balance and sliding uncontrollably. Siblings, friends and parents can experience a sense of consternation due to such clumsiness. They can scold and scorn such an individual without knowing the underlying disorders responsible for these incidences of clumsiness and carelessness. Research by Edvard Ehlers and Henri Danlos led to the association of such physical signs to a group of inheritable connective tissue disorders that affect body organ systems, including joints, skin, and tissues. Malfait et al. (2017) define Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) as a “heterogeneous group of heritable connective tissue disorders (HCTDs), characterized by joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility, and tissue fragility” (p.1). Joint hypermobility explains the possibility of a link between the tissue disorders and the incidences of clumsiness previously mentioned.
Epidemiology of the EDS
The disorders are common and affect a significant populace; epidemiological