title: Ehlers-Danlos type IV syndrome in a patient with Down syndrome: simple co-occurrence or true association?
abstract: Down syndrome, a common chromosome aneuploidy, has been associated with an increased incidence of cutaneous disorders. The simultaneous occurrence with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is rare. We report here the clinical case of a 19-year-old female patient with Down syndrome (trisomy 21) who was also affected by EDS type IV. She died from spontaneous bleeding due to rupture of nonaneurysmal abdominal aorta. Since the affected chromosomes in these two syndromes are different (21 and 2, respectively), the concomitant appearance of Down syndrome and EDS type IV in our patient, though clinically intriguing, most likely represents a co-occurrence. However, the possibility that a presently unknown link may exist between these syndromes cannot be ruled out.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Patras, Greece. pasmatzi@med.upatras.gr
authors.forename: Efi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pasmatzi
authors.forename: Dimtrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vlastos
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monastirli
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stephanou
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Georgious
authors.forename: Theophilos
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakkis
authors.forename: Dionysios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tsambaos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D004535:Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping