Philadelphia CMTA Branch

Charcot-Marie-Tooth, or CMT, is the most commonly inherited neurological disorder and is found world-wide in all races and ethnic groups. Discovered in 1886 by three physicians, Jean-Martin-Charcot, Pierre Marie, and Howard Henry Tooth, CMT affects an estimated 2.6 million people.

CMT patients slowly lose normal use of their feet/legs and hands/arms as nerves to the extremities degenerate and the muscles in the extremities become weakened because of the loss of stimulation by the affected nerves. Many patients also have some loss of sensory nerve function.

CMT is one of the 40 diseases covered by the MDA, but unlike muscular dystrophy, in which the defect is in the muscles, CMT is a disorder in which the defect is in the nerves that control the muscles.

CMT usually isn’t life-threatening and almost never affects brain function. It is not contagious, but it is hereditary and can be passed down from one generation to the next.

The CMTA is a 501(C)(3)nonprofit organization founded in 1983 whose goals are patient support, public education, promotion of research and ultimately the treatment and cure of CMT. A voluntary Board of Directors governs the CMTA. The Medical Advisory Board of the CMTA consists of over 50 clinical and research medical professionals. This international group of men and women are noted CMT experts in neurology, genetics, orthopedic surgery, physiatry, physical therapy and podiatry.

The CMTA currently has more than 15,000 patients and families, supportive friends, and medical professionals in its database.