Symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
The severity of symptoms varies greatly from one affected person to another, but most have:
- A stretchy, very thin and translucent skin. Slow and difficult healing, repeated bruises, early stretch marks even in children.
- Very flexible joints.
The most common forms of the disease, either the classic form (SED type I and II), the hypermobile form (SED type III) or the vascular form (SED type IV) include different combinations of symptoms:
- A fatigue excessive.
- Muscle, joint or abdominal pain, chronic and diffuse throughout the body.
- Repeated dislocations and sprains.
- Respiratory failure, sometimes mistakenly identified as asthma.
- Fragility of blood vessels and organs, prone to tearing, especially in type IV.
- Bowel problems or constipation.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease.
- Urinary problems.
- Cardiac disorders, in particular at the level of the valves.
- Myopia or vision problems.
- Spontaneous nosebleeds.
- Heavy and painful periods in some women.
- Very sensitive and very flexible vocal cords.