uncommon hereditary metabolic disease characterized by dwarfism, hearing loss, and progressive skeletal deformity. Onset of the disease is usually in early childhood, with some coarsening of facial features evident by the first birthday. Eye changes, consisting of corneal opacification and hypertelorism, or unusual widening of the space between the eyes, and enlargement of the liver and spleen are also features of the disease. Intelligence is normal, but the lifespan is greatly shortened; affected persons seldom survive beyond age 20. Like other mucopolysaccharidoses, Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome is caused by a defect in one of the enzymes that govern mucopolysaccharide metabolism, which is important in the development of connective tissue. The disorder is inherited as a recessive trait.