Posts in Research
Cardiovascular and Obstetric Outcomes Among Delivering Patients with Marfan or Loeys-Dietz Syndrome: A Retrospective Analysis by Hospital Delivery Setting

Pregnancies in women with Loeys–Dietz syndrome (LDS) are rare and are typically documented in case reports only. Early reports suggested high rates of maternal complications during pregnancy and the puerperium, including aortic dissection and uterine rupture, but information on fetal outcomes was very limited.

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Adjustment to disease and quality of life in people with vascular Ehlers-Danlos and Loeys-Dietz syndromes: A mixed-method study

Our results suggest that despite the negative impact of HDCTv on the patients’ daily lives, overall, they present an optimal disease adjustment which points to appropriate coping strategies. More research in psychosocial aspects of people with these rare diseases are needed to confirm these results and better understand their needs.

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The mental health impact of aortic dissection

Although the topics of surgical techniques and medical therapies have been widely studied in aortic dissection (AD), studies examining the short- and long-term impact of this event on mental health are largely lacking. Many of the studies have used the 36-Item Short Form Survey at variable time points after the event. However, AD as medical trauma has a complex impact on a person’s identity. Its implications for emotional, mental, social, existential, and self-concept could be explored more robustly.

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Neurovascular abnormalities in patients with Loeys-Dietz syndrome type III

Over a ten-year period, researchers in the Netherlands studied 26 adults with Loeys-Dietz syndrome type 3 (LDS-3) to determine how many of them experienced neurovascular abnormalities like aneurysms, arterial tortuosity (abnormal twisting of the arteries), arterial coiling, and arterial kinking and how these events impacted their health. 84.6% of individuals studied using neurovascular imaging showed some form of neurovascular abnormality, though only two individuals experienced significant issues during the study period.

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hiPSC Modeling of Lineage-Specific Smooth Muscle Cell Defects Caused by TGFBR1A230T Variant, and its Therapeutic Implications for Loeys-Dietz Syndrome

This study reveals that a pathogenic TGFBR1 variant causes lineage-specific SMC defects informing the etiology of LDS-associated aortic root aneurysm. As a potential pharmacological strategy, our results highlight a combination treatment with Activin A and rapamycin that can rescue the SMC defects caused by the variant.

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Toward precision medicine in vascular connective tissue disorders

In this review, the authors outline the history of Marfan syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) with a nod to Dr. Victor McKusick, who dedicated his career to these and other genetic connective tissue conditions. The authors discuss a number of obstacles that must be overcome in order to advance research in Marfan syndrome and LDS and recommendations

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Audiologic and Otologic Clinical Manifestations of Loeys-Dietz Syndrome: A Heritable Connective Tissue Disorder

Aortic and vascular complications are often the focus of patient care practices and research related to Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS), with some additional attention paid to topics like orthopedic issues, asthma, and food allergies. In this article, the authors describe their study of 36 children and adults with LDS types 1-4 and how the condition affected their hearing, ears, and face/head

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Insights on the Pathogenesis of Aneurysm through the Study of Hereditary Aortopathies

In this article, the authors identify several key areas that require further research, including identifying new disease-causing variants not currently associated with TAA to build on what is already known about established TAA-associated mutations and using human, mouse, and stem cell models to study changes at the single-cell level for each stage of disease.

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Maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by the inherited aortopathy Loeys–Dietz syndrome

Pregnancies in women with Loeys–Dietz syndrome (LDS) are rare and are typically documented in case reports only. Early reports suggested high rates of maternal complications during pregnancy and the puerperium, including aortic dissection and uterine rupture, but information on fetal outcomes was very limited.

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Preventing a Catastrophe: Increasing Awareness of Loeys-Dietz Syndrome

We describe the case of a 21-year-old man who was diagnosed with Loeys-Dietz syndrome after 2 family members died of aortic dissection. This case highlights the importance of increased physician awareness of this syndrome, which can play a crucial role in preventing premature sudden cardiac death caused by aortic catastrophe.

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