A "hyperextensive" review of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Abstract

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a heterogeneous group of connective tissue disorders characterized by hyperextensibility, delayed wound healing, joint hypermobility, thin skin, easy bruising, tissue fragility, "cigarette-paper" scarring over bony prominences, mitral valve prolapse, and other findings. There are 6 main types of EDS. Regardless of presentation as a chief concern or an incidental finding, physicians should be aware that the prominent skin findings of EDS are cutaneous signs of an important systemic disorder.