Tongue Defect May Predict Connective Tissue Disorder ATLANTA (Reuters Health) - Researchers have identified a physical characteristic that could help identify newborns with an inherited connective tissue disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which until now has been identifiable only later in life. EDS refers to a group of connective tissue disorders marked by fragile, highly stretchable skin and ``hypermobile'' joints that stretch past normal range. EDS affects about 1 in 5000 people. Until now, diagnosis at birth has not been possible because the main characteristics of EDS do not show up until later in life. Dr. Claudio De Felice and colleagues of the Universita di Siena in Italy hypothesized that because EDS affects connective tissue, patients with the disorder might have defects in two tongue structures made of connective tissue. The two structures are called the inferior labial frenulum and the lingual frenulum. The inferior labial frenulum is the tiny cord between the center of the inside lip and the center of the gum. The lingual frenulum is a similar cord between the base of the tongue and the floor of the mouth. Looking at 12 adults and teenagers with EDS, De Felice's team found that all were missing their inferior labial frenulum and nine were missing their lingual frenulum. ``To date, no congenital physical markers exist for identifying patients with EDS,'' the researchers write in the May 12th issue of The Lancet.These tongue defects, De Felice said in a statement, may be useful in spotting newborns with EDS before the hallmark signs appear. The researchers note that the absence of the inferior labial frenulum has been seen in about one third of patients with another birth defect called infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis--a blocking of the opening between the stomach and intestines.SOURCE: The Lancet 2001;357:1500-1502.