Fibro/CMT differences

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Some information, first Fibro, then CMT:

WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME? more at http://www.fmnetnews.com

FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome) is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue

disorder for which the cause is still unknown. Fibromyalgia means pain in the

muscles, ligaments, and tendons – the soft fibrous tissues in the body.

Most patients with FMS say that they ache all over. Their muscles may feel like

they have been pulled or overworked. Sometimes the muscles twitch and at other

times they burn. More women than men are afflicted with FMS, and it shows up in

people of all ages.

To help your family and friends relate to your condition, have them think back

to the last time they had a bad flu. Every muscle in their body shouted out in

pain. In addition, they felt devoid of energy as though someone had unplugged

their power supply. While the severity of symptoms fluctuate from person to

person, FMS may resemble a post-viral state. This similarity is the reason

experts in the field of FMS and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) believe that

these two syndromes may be one and the same. Gulf War syndrome also overlaps

with FMS/CFS.

This is from http://neurologychannel.com on Fibromylagia:

Overview

Fibromyalgia is a chronic musculoskeletal syndrome characterized by pain,

achiness, tenderness, and stiffness in the muscle tissue, ligaments, and

tendons. It most frequently affects the neck, shoulders, chest, legs, and lower

back. Pain is generally accompanied by sleep disorders, fatigue,

gastrointestinal disorders, and depression. Many of its symptoms are similar to

those of chronic fatigue syndrome, myofascial pain syndrome, and

temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ).

Incidence and Prevalence

It is estimated that 6 to 8 million people in the United States suffer from

fibromyalgia. About 80% of patients are women. While fibromyalgia can occur at

any age, the highest incidence occurs among women 20 to 40 years of age.

There have been reports of fibromyalgia in children. What may be considered

“growing pains” might in fact be fibromyalgia, especially if the child complains

of having difficulty sleeping.

Risk Factors

Risk factors for fibromyalgia include the following:

a.. Age (more common in young adults)

b.. Gender (more common in women than men)

c.. Genetic (familial patterns suggest the disorder may be inherited)

d.. Sleep disorders (whether sleep difficulties are a cause or a result of

fibromyalgia is unknown)

Causes

Causes of fibromyalgia are not known. The condition produces vague symptoms that

may be associated with diminished blood flow to certain parts of the brain and

increased amounts of substance P, which is thought to be a sensory

neurotransmitter involved in the communication of pain, touch, and temperature

from the body to the brain. Researchers have identified several other possible

causes, including the following:

a.. Autonomic nervous system dysfunction

b.. Chronic sleep disorders

c.. Emotional stress or trauma

d.. Immune or endocrine system dysfunction

e.. Upper spinal cord injury

f.. Viral or bacterial infection

What is Charcot Marie Tooth? more at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcot-Marie-Tooth_disease

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is an inherited disorder of nerves (neuropathy) that

is characterized by loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation, predominantly in

the feet and legs but also in the hands and arms in the advanced stages of

disease. The disease is presently incurable.

The disorder is caused by the absence of molecules that are essential for normal

function of the nerves due to deficiencies in the structure of the genes coding

these molecules. The absence of these chemical substances gives rise to

dysfunction either in the axon or the myelin sheath of the nerve cell.

Symptoms usually begin in late-childhood or early adulthood. Usually, the

initial symptom is foot drop due to involvement of the peroneal nerve, which is

responsible from raising the feet, early in the course of the disease. This can

also cause hammer toe, where the toes are always curled. Wasting of muscle

tissue of the lower parts of the legs may give rise to " stork leg " appearance.

Symptoms and progression of the disease can vary. Extreme emotional stress is

thought to hasten the progression.

The diagnosis is established by electromyography examination (which shows that

the velocity of nerve impulse conduction is decreased and the time required to

charge the nerve is increased) and nerve biopsy. Genetic markers have been

identified for some, but not all forms of the disease.

The disease is named for those who classically described it: Jean- Charcot

(1825-1893) and his pupil Pierre Marie (1853-1940) ( " Sur une forme particulière

d'atrophie musculaire progressive, souvent familiale débutant par les pieds et

les jambes et atteignant plus tard les mains " , Revue médicale, Paris, 1886; 6:

97-138.), and Henry Tooth (1856-1925) ( " The peroneal type of progressive

muscular atrophy " , dissertation, London, 1886.)

This is from the neurology channel on CMT: http://www.neurologychannel.com

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, also known as hereditary motor and sensory

neuropathy (HMSN), is an inherited, degenerative nerve disorder that causes

muscle weakness and atrophy in the feet, legs, hands, and forearms. It is

characterized by progressive loss of use and sensation in the limbs.

Charcot, Marie, and Tooth are the names of the physicians who identified the

disease and described its symptoms. It is not the same as Charcot's foot

disease, a neuropathic joint disease that is a common complication of diabetes

mellitus.

In CMT, the myelin coating on motor and sensory nerves gradually deteriorates,

resulting in poor transmission of nerve impulses. The feet and legs are the

first to show the affects of myelin deterioration, or demyelination. Muscles

fail to receive stimulation from the nerves and then begin to waste away

(atrophy). Atrophy in the small muscles in the feet and hands causes the fingers

and toes to curl.

Anatomy

Peripheral nerves extend from the spinal cord throughout the body. Nerve cells,

or neurons, carry impulses to and from the brain via the spinal cord. Motor

neurons signal muscles to move; sensory neurons transmit sensations, such as

heat, pain, and surface texture to the brain. Most neurons are made up of:

a.. a soma

b.. dendrites

c.. an axon, and

d.. synaptic terminals.

The soma contains a large nucleus and other structures responsible for proper

maintenance and function of the neuron.

Dendrites are branching structures that extend from the soma. Dendrites may have

hundreds or thousands of synapses that receive signals from other neurons and

relay information to the soma.

The axon is an elongated structure that conducts signals from the soma to

synaptic terminals. Each neuron has one axon, which is wrapped in multiple

layers of a substance called myelin. Axons transmit signals at a constant speed,

called nerve conduction velocity (NCV), which is determined by the diameter of

the axon and by the thickness of its myelin sheath. Myelin is critical in nerve

signal conduction.

Synaptic terminals are formed within the end of an axon. They contain chemicals

(neurotransmitters) that relay signals from one neuron to other neurons or to

tissues (i.e., muscles, glands).

Types

There are two forms of CMT. One form involves degeneration of the myelin sheath

that surrounds a nerve's axon. The other involves impairment of the axon. There

are several types of CMT within each form. The most commonly diagnosed type is

CMT1. In patients with CMT1, there is axonal demyelination resulting in reduced

motor and sensory nerve conduction. Loss of stimulation by the affected nerves

causes muscle weakness and atrophy.

Incidence and Prevalence

Approximately 125,000 people in the United States have Charcot-Marie-Tooth

disease. CMT occurs slightly more often in men than in women and is not

prevalent in any one race. Signs of the disease usually appear before the age of

30.

Cause

CMT is caused by an inherited genetic mutation. There are rare cases in which

the mutation occurs spontaneously within one egg or sperm.

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