Neurofibromatosis: Causes, Tests and Treatment Options

By Anthony Michaels

Neurofibromatosis is a disease that disturbs the proper growth of the cells of your nervous system. It is genetic, which means that you may suffer from it because one or both of your parents had this disease. If you get affected with neurofibromatosis, you have an increased risk of being affected with other kinds of tumors related to nervous system, such as spinal cord tumors. Cancer is caused by neurofibromatosis tumors in very rare cases. So far, there is no definite cure for neurofibromatosis. However, researchers and clinicians have discovered new ways to treat patients with specific neurofibromatosis-related problems.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andale LLC
• Release date: Feb 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466124943

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Neurofibromatosis: Causes, Tests and Treatment Options

Anthony S. Michaels, MA

Jennifer Grange, MD (Ed.)

Smashwords Edition

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Copyright 2012 Anthony S Michaels, MA; Jennifer Grange MD (Ed.)

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Contents

One: What is Neurofibromatosis?

Two: Health Problems Associated with Neurofibromatosis

Three: Causes and Symptoms of Neurofibromatosis

Four: Meeting the Doctor for Tests and Diagnosis

Five: Treatment

Six: Latest Research on Neurofibromatosis

Seven: Psychiatric Support

Neurofibromatosis Organizations

Appendix A: Internet Resources / Further Reading

One: What is Neurofibromatosis?

Neurofibromatosis is a disease that disturbs the proper growth of the cells of your nervous system. It is genetic, which means that you may suffer from it because one or both of your parents had this disease. When you acquire neurofibromatosis, it results in tumors formed on the nerve tissues. These tumors can either be under the skin or they can also appear on the surface of your skin in which case their size is relatively small, about one inch. If you get affected with neurofibromatosis, you have an increased risk of being affected with other kinds of tumors related to nervous system, such as spinal cord tumors. The condition also affects the retina of the eye – which can cause problems with your eyesight, the brain, spinal cord and other parts related to the nervous system. Neurofibromatosis it is not contagious. This means that if you have contact with a person with neurofibromatosis, you have no risks of catching it from that person.

Neurofibromatosis is usually diagnosed during childhood or early adulthood. Once the problem is diagnosed, the treatment should be started right away and no time should be wasted. Although there is no definite cure of this problem, various methods of treatment have been proposed by doctors and specialists that can reduce the severity of the problem and possibly avoid physical disabilities. The sooner you have the condition diagnoses and treatment started, the greater are the chances that you may be free of most of its symptoms and lead a happy and healthy life.

The tumors that appear as a result of neurofibromatosis are generally not very dangerous and their overall affect is also generally not very severe. But if treatment is not carried out at the initial stages, the disease can result in the loss of hearing power, memory problems and even cancer. It can also affect the ability of your skin to feel heat. At the initial stages, the tumors might not seem troublesome but with the passage of time, the size of these tumors can increase. As the size increases, these tumors can cause problems for the surrounding tissues of the other organs of the body. Under such a situation, treatment becomes necessary. Cancer is caused by neurofibromatosis tumors in very rare cases.

Neurofibromatosis can also be caused due to a family history of the disease. In nearly 50 percent