Arytenoid Prolapse in 3 Patients With Ehler-Danlos Syndrome Leading to Respiratory Compromise

• Published in: Mayo Clinic proceedings Vol. 92; no. 5; pp. 851 - 853
• Main Authors: Safi, Fadi A., MD, Alyosif, Mohammad A., MD, Imam, Sarah, BSc, Assaly, Ragheb A., MD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 01.05.2017; Frontline Medical Communications Inc; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Asthma; Care and treatment; Case reports; Collagen; Congenital defects; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; Gastroesophageal reflux; Infections; Internal Medicine; Neural tube defects; Patients; Respiratory tract diseases; Sleep; Sleep apnea; Speech therapy; Spinal cord; United States
• ISSN: 0025-6196; 1942-5546
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2017.01.016

To the Editor: There is an increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms in the population with Ehler-Danlos syndrome (EDS), but the underlying pathology is often not clear and can be misdiagnosed.1 It has been postulated that these respiratory abnormalities may be the result of defects of the collagen-containing structures of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, leading to swallowing difficulties and dysphonia as well.2 Harris et al3 described a series of 5 children with EDS whose respiratory symptoms were misdiagnosed as asthma, or were attributed to other conditions that accompanied the diseases, mainly vocal cord dysfunction and gastroesophageal reflux. CASE REPORTS Patient 1 is a 26-year-old woman with a medical history of EDS type III (hypermobility type), and asthma, who presented with acute onset of difficulty breathing and stridor after an upper respiratory tract infection. Patient 3 is a 37-year-old woman with a history of EDS-classic type, Arnold Chiari malformation with syringomyelia,...