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links between keratoconous and other conditions?

Posted: Wed 27 Oct 2010 10:19 pm
by Ann
Hello. I understand that keratoconous is linked to weak collagen links caused by a number of different genes - and I heard that people with keratoconous are more likely to be bendy and double-jointed - which is good for me, cos I'm a climber and I'm much more bendy than other people I go climbing with. I'm interested to hear if there are links to other conditions related to collagen - for instance, I think the heart valves are made up of collagen, so could ths result in dodgy heart valves? What other parts of the body have a high proportion of collagen?

Re: links between keratoconous and other conditions?

Posted: Thu 28 Oct 2010 12:17 am
by pam39
I had to have my heart tested when I was in my twenties just in case the valves were dodgy, lucky for me they were ok. My skin is very soft and bruises easily due to the collagen and I too am very bendy though I have found this diminishing as I am getting older. My hair is also very fine but I do not know if this is related in any way? :)

Pam

Re: links between keratoconous and other conditions?

Posted: Sat 30 Oct 2010 11:00 am
by stevematic
I'm not double-jointed but I am flexible.

Re: links between keratoconous and other conditions?

Posted: Mon 01 Nov 2010 7:19 am
by Sheila_e
A few years ago I was asked if I would take part in some research looking at the link between a floppy heart valve and KC, which I took part in and yes I had a floppy left ventrical. Doesn't cause me any problems. I also have lupus. Don't think there is a link. In my younger days I was very flexible
Sheila

Re: links between keratoconous and other conditions?

Posted: Mon 01 Nov 2010 9:26 am
by melissa
i am very flexible and bruise terribly,,,, but i have thick hair... and thin nails.... also not sure how it all links... don't know about my heart... never had a problem

Re: links between keratoconous and other conditions?

Posted: Mon 01 Nov 2010 3:13 pm
by Ladyburd
Hi

I was given a study paper from my optom & there are links to several genes & there is a link between allergies, exema, athsma, hay fever (I'm sure there are links to this paper on this site)

I have all of the above & there is a history of heart conditions in my family, hence the reason I'm now an ex-smoker (one year & counting!)

I too am extremely flexible (I can do the splits) & have very good hair & nails, as do my cousin (KC), sister & mum

Just started piggybacking soft & hard lens, so at last I can see! woohoo

Cx

Re: links between keratoconous and other conditions?

Posted: Mon 01 Nov 2010 4:13 pm
by Andrew MacLean
I'm old and overweight so not at all 'bendy'. Still, it is an intriguing thought that the very thing that makes us prone to KC may also give us advantages in different ways.

Re: links between keratoconous and other conditions?

Posted: Mon 01 Nov 2010 4:29 pm
by Ann
Yeah, being bendy is great for climbing - and I guess, yoga, martial arts, gymnastics, all sorts of stuff! Slightly worried about the heart valve thing though. :?

Re: links between keratoconous and other conditions?

Posted: Tue 02 Nov 2010 6:49 pm
by David M.
Your entire body consists of collagen to some degree or another. If KC was linked to that you'd expect KC folk to have a massively greater percentage of connective tissue disorders in relation to the general population, (or people with connective tissue disorders to have a far greater incidence of K.C?) I've not seen any evidence of that. I asked the opticians at the hospital how many of the outpatients had K.C and was told 50%. However sitting there in the waiting room I've never got the impression that 50% of people have any other obvious diseases; and many connective tissuse disorders can cause severe disability.

During the 20 years I've had KC I've had doctors do environmental studies psychometric tests allergy tests blood tests yadda yadda yadda. I never learnt the results of these things but no one got beck to me. And I've had doctors swear blind my K.C wasn't caused by a road accident which left my face in pieces two years before I was diagnosed. No one else in my famiy has KC and no one has cardiac disorders either. I think its the luck of the draw really.

Re: links between keratoconous and other conditions?

Posted: Wed 03 Nov 2010 5:43 pm
by Anne Klepacz
There were obviously medics looking at possible connections between KC and other collagen deficiencies some years ago. I, too, was part of a study almost 30 yrs ago where I was asked about bendy joints (which I don't have) and where my heart valves were examined (and were fine). As David says, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that having KC makes us more vulnerable to other collagen related problems (though there is some evidence the other way round - I know there's at least one connective tissue disorder which makes those people more likely to have KC). And, as Ladyburd says, people with KC are more likely than the general population to have atopic conditions like eczema, asthma and hay fever. Though I think the jury is still out on which is the chicken and which is the egg.
We also had a speaker at our very first national conference who talked about the possibility of 'triggers' for setting off KC. And some sort of trauma to the head might be one of them. I remember an interesting thread on this forum some years ago where several people talked about road accidents involving head injury not long before their KC developed. Could be coincidence of course. Or maybe a 'trigger' for those already genetically susceptible? Seems like the possible causes of KC are complex and there's still more research to be done before people really understand it.
Anne