Ehlers-Danlos syndrome strikes 1 in 5,000

EM:HE mom Jackie Frisch is one of those with the disease

As we've come to know the Frisch family through their Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, we've heard that Mrs. Frisch struggles with some serious health issues. In tonight's health alert, we learn more about the condition she lives with, known as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Ehlers-Danlos is a connective tissue disorder that affects one in 5,000 people in this country. It affects the connective tissues of the body, like the skin and blood vessels.

Dr. Anthony Comerota at Toledo Hospital's Jobst Vascular Center says Ehlers-Danlos can weaken the blood vessel walls. ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition says Jackie Frisch has had heart surgery, and several strokes. Dr. Comerota says, "In other patients that we have cared for over the years, a stroke can occur because a small vessel in the brain ruptures."

He says Ehlers-Danlos patients need to be monitored with good imaging to check the condition of their blood vessels. "We need to follow their aorta, which is the most important because if that aorta dilates, it's particularly prone to rupture and if a rupture occurs, mortality is exceptionally high."

Dr. Comerota says the syndrome is inherited, so it's important that patients seek genetic counseling to find out the risk of passing it onto a child.

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