Symptoms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

Overview

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is a progressive condition that causes the motor and sensory nerves to weaken. Motor neurons control muscle contraction and voluntary muscle activities such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing. The onset of the symptoms in CMT happens more frequently in adolescence or early adulthood and may differ between patients, even among relatives with the condition.

Fatigue

CMT is characterized by progressive muscle weakness, but other symptoms such as fatigue can greatly affect patients’ quality of life. Fatigue is common in CMT patients and may be caused by sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or muscles having to work harder, expending more energy.

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Hearing Loss

CMT can damage cochlear nerves, which then reduces a patient’s ability to hear, and usually occurs in both ears. Hearing loss can range from mild to severe in CMT, and patients usually have difficulty hearing mid- and high-frequency sounds.

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Breathing Problems

Some CMT patients may experience respiratory muscle weakness as a result of the disease, which can affect their ability to breathe. Rarely in CMT, the phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm muscle, may be affected, causing breathing problems.

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Scoliosis

In CMT, the uneven weakening of muscles results in joints being pulled on unequally, which can eventually shift bones into abnormal positions and result in scoliosis, where the spine develops an abnormal sideways curvature.

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