How To Identify Klippel Trenaunay Weber Syndrome

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Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome (KTW) is a very rare disorder. It is a congenital disorder that causes wine colored patches on the skin, varicose veins and excessive bone and tissue growth.

All three symptoms need to be present at the same time for a person to be diagnosed with KTWS. The disorder is named after Dr. Maurice Klippel, Dr. Paul Trenaunay and Dr. F P Weber who were the first ones to do a professional study on it.

Causes Of KTWS

There are no known specific causes of KTWS that have been identified by medical experts. But in some cases it seems to be passed down from one generation to the next.

How Life Is Affected By KTWS

People suffering from this disorder are usually able to lead a normal life. In some cases, patients may suffer pain and develop ulcers and lesions on the skin. Their life is generally not shortened due to this problem.

How To Identify Symptoms Of KTWS

The symptoms of KTWS are very specific and have been identified by medical professionals. Here is a list of the three main signs that indicate that a person has KTWS.

Port Wine Stains

These marks are a type of non-cancerous tumor which appears on the skin due to an excessive growth of capillaries. They are not harmful but are not very pleasant to look at. These marks are usually present at birth and disappear over the years. In case of KTWS, there are multiple port wine stains all over the body (especially on the affected limbs).

They are red or wine colored. The size of the stains may vary from very small to large. The areas where the patches exist are seen as flat patches which do not appear to be raised against the skin.

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Varicose Veins

This is a medical condition where the veins in the body are filled up with an unusual quantity of blood. Varicose veins are caused by other diseases and disorders as well and are not peculiar to KTWS alone. The extra blood may make the veins expand almost to the point of bursting.

This problem is caused when the valves are unable to pump blood efficiently from the veins and into the heart. The veins become twisted and deformed due to the enlargement. Patients experience a lot of pain and swelling due to varicose veins. This symptom is rarely seen in a baby at birth. It is only in the early teen years that this particular symptom of KTWS is noticed.

Excessive Bone And Tissue Growth

This is referred to as hypertrophy in medical terms. Usually only one or two limbs are affected in KTWS. One leg or arm appears to grow much larger and faster than the other. The bones and muscles grow at an abnormal rate. Such people may also have more than the normal number of fingers and toes.

Webbed feet are also quite common in KTWS. The limb opposite the enlarged one may be abnormally small. The hypertrophy can also affect internal organs like the intestines and make them larger than normal. This in turn can result in internal and rectal bleeding.

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