Marfan syndrome is a rare disorder that causes the connective tissue in the body to be weaker than it should be. Connective tissue is the material which holds together many structures in the body, such as tendons, ligaments, cartilage, blood vessels, heart valves, and more. Because the connective tissue is weaker in Marfan patients, it affects how the heart and blood vessels, eyes, and skeleton are formed as well as how they work.