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Neurofibromatosis In America Research Paper

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How Common is Neurofibromatosis in USA and the World Over

Neurofibromatosis is an umbrella term covering a group of three genetic disorders of the nervous system. It has three different manifestations which are known as NF1, NF2 and Schwannomatosis. The growth and development of nerve cells is affected by this condition.
Almost half of the individuals suffering from this disorder have a family history of Neurofibromatosis. The other half develops it at some point in their life through gene mutation.
Let’s look at what happens in each of these disorders and how common they are in the United States of America and the rest of the World.
Roughly around 1 in 3,000 people are diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis every year in the USA. That’s about …show more content…

It is characterised by light brown patches on the skin and ‘neurofibromas’ which are soft, fleshy growths that may erupt under the skin. Some sufferers also develop brain tumours. The prevalence rate of NF1 is about 1 in 4,000 people. Early death of some NF1 patients results in a higher rate of prevalence among children than in adults.
NF2 is also known as ‘bilateral acoustic NF’. Multiple tumours develop on the cranial and spinal nerves. These tumours may even damage the auditory nerves and lead to hearing loss. Loss of hearing that begins during early teen years is usually the first symptom of NF2. The incidence of this disorder is much less common than NF1 since 1 in 33,000 people are diagnosed every year. The prevalence rate of NF2 is 1 in 60,000. Schwannomas
It is a recently diagnosed type of neurofibromatosis which is rarer than the other two types (NF1 and NF2). Most adults with NF2 eventually go on to develop bilateral vestibular schwannomas by age 30. Schwannomas are a type of painful tumours and are very debilitating for the sufferer. The National Institutes of Health in the USA and Ophanet ( a consortium of European partners) define this disorder as rare. It has been found to affect less than 200,000 people in the US. This means that it affects less than 1 person per 2,000 of the

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