Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Research Paper

Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease is a foot deformity, it is a very high arched foot. People who have this disease can also have numb feet. CMT the peripheral nerves, which are the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. There are more than 80 kinds of CMT. Each kind is caused by a different kind of mutation, and more causes are being discovered every year. CMT is one kind of neuropathy which means that peripheral nerves are damaged. This disease affects about 2.8 million people worldwide. Some of the symptoms of this disease are loss of balance, an unusually high arched foot, numbness in the feet, loss of muscle is the legs causing skinny calves, and foot drop which is the inability to hold the foot horizontally. Also another thing that may or
not be noticeable with this disease is ‘’Slabbing’’ gait which is when the feet slab on the floor when walking because of foot drop.

Some of the tests that are needed to fully diagnose this disease is lab tests, and images. Diagnosis is done my persons family history, physical exam, and other symptoms. This disease is treated with exercising, stretching, occupational therapy, some patients get braces that go on the bottom of their feet and around the calf. The majority of patients have a normal life span, but others experience severe progressive disease.

The person wouldn’t have to do that much different, besides change the type of shoes there wore and help getting around because of the loss of balance. CMT is a very rare disease there are fewer than 200,000 US cases. I think that this disease is negative. It is negative because there are some dramatic symptoms that effect life. Like for example the loss of balance that could be horrid because you would be constantly needing help and someone there. And for independent people like me that would be an issue because I like I said am an very independent person.