Strengths and limitations
Limitations of the current study are the lack of clinical data,
especially cardiac data, including aortic size, in these women. Since
this is a register study we cannot comment on the impact of clinical
surveillance or of medical intervention, such as for example the use of
beta blockers or ACE-inhibitors. Strengths of this study are the
inclusion of diagnosed as well as undiagnosed women with Marfan syndrome
and the nationwide approach with including all diagnosed Marfan syndrome
women. Further, the possibility to utilize the registers with
cross-linkage, which enable identification of the age-matched controls
and the linkage to all hospital contacts, is of paramount importance.