What are the symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome?
Clinical manifestations of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome are most often joint and skin related and may include:
Joint hypermobility; loose/unstable joints which are prone to frequent dislocations and/or subluxations; joint pain; hyperextensible joints (they move beyond the joint’s normal range); early onset of osteoarthritis.
Soft velvety-like skin; variable skin hyper-extensibility; fragile skin that tears or bruises easily (bruising may be severe); severe scarring; slow and poor wound healing; development of molluscoid pseudo tumors (fleshy lesions associated with scars over pressure areas).
Chronic, early onset, debilitating musculoskeletal pain (usually associated with the Hypermobility Type); arterial/intestinal/uterine fragility or rupture (usually associated with the Vascular Type); scoliosis at birth and scleral fragility (associated with the Kyphoscoliosis Type); poor muscle tone (associated with the Arthrochalasia Type); mitral valve prolapse; and gum disease.
Each type of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is defined as a distinct problem in making or using one of the types of collagen. Collagen is what the body uses to provide strength and elasticity to tissue; normal collagen is a strong protein that allows tissue to be stretched but not beyond its limit, and then safely returns that tissue to normal. Collagen is found throughout the body, and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a structural problem. An analogy: If one builds a house with bad materials, with cheap nails or only half the wood required, problems will arise. Some problems are more likely to show up than others, but because the bad or missing materials are everywhere and not necessarily visible, one can be surprised where some problems occur.
It is much the same thing with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and collagen. The collagen with which a person with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is built is not structured the way it should be, or only part of it is produced. With a badly built or processed collagen, the tissue that relies on it can be pulled beyond normal limits and thus be damaged. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and types of collagen can be found almost anywhere: in skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments, blood vessels, organs, gums, eyes, and so on.
The problems resulting from one’s body being built out of a protein that behaves unreliably can be widespread and in a wide range of severity. It shows up in places that seem unrelated until the underlying connection to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is recognized.
This information is provided by The Ehlers-Danlos Society, for more detailed information or support please visit the Ehlers-Danlos Society website. ‘It’s our time’.