Type IV Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with aspirin sensitivity.  A family study. 
The purpose of this study was to investigate a family with type IV Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS-IV) and platelet sensitivity to aspirin, an association that, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously.  Type IV Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a rare disorder of type III collagen metabolism characterized by bruising easily and death at an early age from exsanguination by rupture of a major viscus or artery.  Previous studies have suggested an association between various types of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and abnormal platelet function.  In this family, EDS-IV is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern.  The transmission of the platelet functional disorder from the proband to only one of two children affected with EDS-IV in this family suggests that there is a genetic component to this condition that is independent of EDS-IV.