I am a 21 year old male and I have always been very skinny. I always thought this was because it does not take much food to make me full, but I have to eat many times during the day to keep my energy up. I was searching the Internet about skinny arms and wrists, and I came across information on marfan syndrome. I understand that people reading about
syndromes and diseases on the Internet often think “I think I have that” when they actually don’t.I have long fingers. My arm span almost excedes my height. My index finger and thumb just touch when wrapped around my wrist. People have commented on my long fingers and arms thoughout my life, although I never saw them as
excessively long. I have always had excellent vision and have never worn glasses.

After reading so much about it, I’m a bit scared. I don’t know if I’m making a big deal out of nothing. Even if I were to see a doctor, I don’t know where to begin or how to find a specialist. I had a physical for work about three years ago (before I knew anything about Marfan) and I was considered healthy. Am I overreacting?

Dr. Joshua’s answer

I assume that neither of your parents have Marfan syndrome. Therefore, you had a 1 in 10,000 chance of being born with Marfan syndrome. That’s pretty small. However, you have noticed some signs in your body with similarities to Marfan syndrome, and understandably that’s got you worried.

Those signs are:
1) You’re skinny. -Marfan patients are often tall and slender. However, most skinny people do not have Marfan syndrome.

2) You have long arms. You say your arm span “almost” excedes your height. In Marfan syndrome, one of the criteria is arm span. It must be more than 1.05 x height. So you based on your estimate, you do not fulfill this criteria. On the other hand, most people with an arm span of 1.05xheight do not have Marfan syndrome.

3) You have long fingers. Your thumb touches your index finger when you wrap your fingers around your wrist. One of the signs for Marfan syndrome is that when wrapped around the wrist, the thumb overlaps the nail of the little finger. So you do not meet this criteria. Hey, my thumb touches my index finger, and I have a thick wrist!

Even if the above criteria were met, you would probably not have Marfan syndrome. The diagnosis is based on careful clinical examination and blood tests for genetic markers. There is no single blood test that can determine whether a patient has Marfan syndrome or not.

So, you probably do not have Marfan syndrome. However, as I’m sure you understand, I cannot say this for sure. If you still have doubts, you should see your physician and tell him of your worries. A clinical examination is essential, and a general practitioner can do it.

Cheers,
Dr. Joshua