Emily Malcolm, PhD,  —

Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the resistance to blood flow in your blood vessels. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as heart failure. High blood pressure can be even more dangerous for…

Physiotherapy is one of the treatments that may help patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic disease that affects the connective tissues providing structure to areas of the body that include the joints. Because of the loss of this structure, EDS patients can easily overextend and dislocate…

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a rare disease that affects connective tissue,  including the cartilage of the joints. Patients with EDS have fragile skin and tissue, which increases the risk that normal activities may cause a joint to dislocate. What is joint dislocation? Joints are the points at which…

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a rare disease that affects connective tissue. Patients with EDS have fragile skin and tissues, which can put them at high risk for internal bleeding, even without accident or injury. What is internal bleeding? Internal bleeding occurs when patients bleed into their chest or…

For people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), it’s important to wear sunscreen while outdoors to protect their very fragile skin as overexposure to the sun can cause skin damage. What is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome? Ehlers-Danlos is a rare disease that affects the connective tissue that gives structure to different organs and…

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a rare condition that affects connective tissue, which is important for maintaining skin elasticity and the shape of organs. Many patients experience hypermobility of joints (where joints extend more than they should, causing damage) and hyper flexibility of the skin (abnormally fragile and stretchy skin).

For parents of children with a rare disease like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), managing the disease and going to school can be challenging. Here are a few tips to help: File a treatment plan with the school A treatment plan contains information about your child’s disease, what the treatments…

Effectively managing a rare disease like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) can be challenging. Here are five tips to get the most out of your doctor’s appointments: What’s new since the last appointment? Do you have any new symptoms? Have any medications that you take changed (even over-the-counter ones)? What have…

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is the name given to a group of genetic disorders that weaken the connective tissues supporting muscles, blood vessels, and other tissues. Often, the first time patients hear about EDS is when they are diagnosed, which makes some wonder why they have been diagnosed with a…

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a rare heritable disease, which affects the connective tissue. Patients generally have soft, velvety skin that is fragile and does not heal quickly. In many types of EDS, scar tissue is slow to form and is easily damaged, with scars to stretch and expand over…