This information is provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD).
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) is a type of inherited neurological disorder that affects the peripheral nerves. People with this disease experience weakness and wasting (atrophy) of the muscles of the lower legs beginning in adolescence; later they can also have hand weakness and sensory loss.[936] In CMT1A, abnormal nerve conduction studies can be found in babies or toddlers, but the symptoms that are characteristic of the disease may not occur until 20 years of age or later.[10688] CMT1A is caused by having an extra copy (a duplication) of the PMP22 gene.[936][10688] It is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Treatment for this condition may include physical therapy; occupational therapy; braces and other orthopedic devices; orthopedic surgery; and pain medications.[936] The severity and degree of disability varies very much among the affected people.[10688]
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