Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT)

Also called peroneal muscular atrophy (PMA) and Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy (HMSN), this is a group of genetic disorders of the peripheral nervous system in which there is a progressive loss of nerve function in the legs, feet, and hands, leading to degeneration of muscle tissue and loss of muscle control in those parts of the body.  The most common is type 1, where neurons in the peripheral nervous system lose their myelin sheaths (fatty layers around axons).  In type 2, the axons (conductors of nerve impulses) themselves are damaged.  Symptoms usually appear by age 10, but can appear at any age.  Although a progressive disease, symptoms develop slowly.  It s rarely fatal.  There is currently no cure, but treatment by podiatry, physical therapy, and orthopedic surgery may relieve and slow the progression of symptoms.