Actor With Marfans Connective Tissue Disease

[Maxine]

Vincent Schiavelli

http://www.marfan.org/nmf/PreviewPressRele...s_release_id=24

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001704/bio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Schiavelli

It's nice see he didn't hide his illness to protect his career.

It looks like he had a good one anyway. It's ahame he passed away, as he seemed to mean so much to so many people.

Maxine :0)

[goldicedance]

There's also been a debate about whether President Abraham Lincoln had Marfans:

In the early 1960s, a physician published a paper which stated that President Abraham Lincoln had Marfan syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. The diagnosis was based on physical observations of Lincoln: the fact that he was much taller than most men of his day, with long limbs, an abnormally-shaped chest, and loose (lax) joints (based on written descriptions).

Since then, other physicians have disputed a diagnosis of Marfan syndrome for Lincoln. Most recently, at a scientific workshop held in October 2001 in Cairo, Egypt, the scientists gathered there felt that there was not enough scientific evidence available to definitely diagnose President Lincoln with the disorder.

Most recently, there was some speculation that Michael Phelps has Marfans. Interesting to note who is Hospkins doctor is:

In his book, "Michael Phelps: Beneath the Surface" written by both Phelps and Brian Cazeneuve, he writes about the scare of the possible diagnosis of Marfan syndrome:

"My heart rate was accelerating and Bob suggested I see the doctor. Because I was very flexible and had long hands and feet. I had some early symptoms of Marfan Syndrome, a disease that affects connective tissues and can be fatal if there is leakage to the vessels that lead to the heart. If you reach out your arms and form a T and your wingspan is longer than your height, you can be at risk. In my case, those measurements have always been very close. I didn't know at the time why the doctor decided to look into this. My mom and Bob didn't want me to freak out, so they told me it was simply a good idea for young athletes to have an EKG test in order to look at the heart.

Fortunately everything was, and still is, okay. I have been tested once a year ever since at John's Hopkins under the direction of Dr. Peter Roe and the tissues are strong, the aortic rout is clear and my heart is in good shape - as long as my Baltimore Ravens are winning."

I believe many young athletes go undiagnosed with Marfans until they collapse on the basketball court or other arena. Phelps swimming career has raised some concerns about whether youngsters will forgo sports if they possible have Marfans.

I myself had a cousin who passed away from Marfans when he was in his 40's.

Lois