Charcot Marie Tooth Disease- An Overview

The Charcot Marie Tooth disease is primarily a hereditary neuropathic disorder pertaining to the motor and sensory issues. It is known to cause nerve damage and the impact is mostly found in the arms and legs as well. 

Owing to this disease, the patient is likely to suffer from small and weak muscles and it can also lead to loss of sensation and difficulty in simple activities like walking. Foot deformities are extremely common as well.   

Causes of the disease

The Charcot Marie Tooth disease is mainly a genetic disorder and it occurs when gene mutations take place. The damage owing to a mutation in genes can be felt in a lot of different parts of the body but it is the nerves which are mostly affected. The myelin sheath which is the coating around the nerve tends to be affected the most too. 

It is the genes for proteins which either affects axons or the ones that affect myelin which is mutated. 

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What are the symptoms of Charcot Marie tooth disease?

As there are a lot of different types of Charcot Marie Tooth disease, the exact symptoms can vary a great deal from one person to another. Some of the common symptoms which can help you trace the presence of this disease are as follows. 

• Bone deformity of hand and feet 
• Weakness of muscles 
• Sensory loss in several areas 
• General body weakness 
• Difficulty in using the hands 
• Imbalance issues in the ankles 
• Cramps in the lower legs and even forearms 
• Possible vision and hearing loss 
• Reduced reflex actions 

Cure for Charcot Marie Tooth disease

Now that we know the key symptoms for Charcot Marie Tooth disease, we need to focus on what is the possible cure for this disease. 

Currently there is no specific cure for this disorder, however, there are plenty of treatment options available which can relieve the symptoms and even delay the onset of physical deformities in the body of the patients. The treatment options are the only respite for people suffering from such problems. 

• Anti-inflammatory drugs: there are plenty of non-steroid drugs like ibuprofen which can help in the reduction of inflammation and pain in the muscles which is caused owing to the damaged nerves. 
• Physical therapy can help in strengthening the muscles and even offer improved strength so as to delay acute muscular weakness 
• Assistive devices like orthopedic devices and shoe inserts can help in restructuring the imbalance issues and aid in proper walking and even carrying out the different activities.
• Occupational therapy cans also turn out to be handy to help patients with gripping issues. 
• Finally, surgery can be used to remove the damaged part of tendons or bones or even rectify common problems like flat feet and heel deformities too.

So, these are some of the possible ways by which you can have the complex issue of Charcot Marie Tooth disease. As there is no proper cure, the patients have no option but to live with this ailment for the rest of their life. 

*Imagenes extraídas de Lancet Neurology, volume 8, issue 7, P654-667, July01, 2009.
Diganosis, Natural history and management od the Charcot Marie Tooth disease. David Paterson M.D.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(09)70110-3/fulltext?code=lancet-site