A 19-year-old man arrives at the office with difficulty seeing and blurred vision that has gradually worsened over the past year. He is a second-year college student studying biochemistry. His grades are excellent, but he is worried about how his poor vision has affected his classes this semester. The patient enjoys swimming as well. He is 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) tall and weighs 71 kg (156.5 lb). Physical examination demonstrates the findings depicted in the exhibits.
This patient is most likely to die from which of the following conditions?

Question

A 19-year-old man arrives at the office with difficulty seeing and blurred vision that has gradually worsened over the past year. He is a second-year college student studying biochemistry. His grades are excellent, but he is worried about how his poor vision has affected his classes this semester. The patient enjoys swimming as well. He is 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) tall and weighs 71 kg (156.5 lb). Physical examination demonstrates the findings depicted in the exhibits.  
This patient is most likely to die from which of the following conditions?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: One of the most common inherited connective tissue disorders is Marfan syndrome (MFS). This condition is caused by a genetic defect in the glycoprotein fibrillin-1 and results in skeletal abnormalities (eg, long extremities, scoliosis, pectus excavatum), eye abnormalities (eg, ectopia lentis), and cardiovascular system abnormalities (eg, aortic root disease).
Mitral valve prolapse and cystic medial aortic degeneration are the two most common cardiac abnormalities seen in MFS patients. Aneurysmal dilation occurs in more than 75% of MFS patients due to cystic medial aortic degeneration. If left untreated, this can lead to aortic dissection, which is the leading cause of death in MFS patients. Cardiac failure caused by mitral valve prolapse and/or aortic regurgitation is the second leading cause of death.

A 19-Year-Old Man Arrives at the Office with Difficulty Seeing