ABOUT CMT
Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, or CMT, is a group of inherited disorders that affect the peripheral nerves, which are the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. There are over 90 kinds of CMT. Each kind is caused by a different kind of mutation, and more causes are being discovered every year.
CMT is just one kind of neuropathy (also called peripheral neuropathy), meaning simply that the peripheral nerves are damaged. There are many other causes of neuropathy, including the most common cause—diabetes.
CMT affects about 2.8 million people worldwide, of all races and ethnic groups.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth is named after the three physicians who were the first to describe it in 1886: Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie and Howard Henry Tooth.
The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association is leading the charge in funding and discovering treatments for CMT.
To find out more about CMT and their research program, visit www.cmtausa.org
