Neurofibromatosis, also known as Von Recklinghausen disease, is an inherited disease that occurs around age 15 and causes abnormal growth of nerve tissue throughout the body, forming small nodules and external tumors, called neurofibromas.
Neurofibromatosis is generally benign and does not pose any health risk, however, because it causes small external tumors to appear, it can cause body disfigurement, making those affected intend to undergo surgery . surgical procedure to remove them.
- Although neurofibromatosis is not cured.
- Since tumors can grow back.
- Surgery or radiation therapy may be tried to try to shrink the tumors and improve the cosmetic appearance of the skin.
Neurofibromatosis can be divided into three types
Depending on the type of neurofibromatosis, symptoms can vary. So, find out the most common symptoms for each type of neurofibromatosis.
Neurofibromatosis is caused by genetic changes in certain genes, especially chromosome 17 and chromosome 22, and rare cases of schwannomatosis appear to be caused by changes in more specific genes such as SMARCB1 and LZTR. All modified genes are important for inhibiting tumor production and therefore, when affected, lead to the development of tumors characteristic of neurofibromatosis.
While most diagnosed cases are passed down from parent to child, there are also people who may never have had a case of illness in the family.
Treatment of neurofibromatosis can be done by surgery to remove the tumors that put pressure on the organs or by radiation therapy to reduce their size; however, there is no cure or prevention of the development of new tumors.
In the most severe cases, in which the patient develops cancer, it may be necessary to undergo chemotherapy or radiation therapy directed against malignant tumors. Learn more about treating neurofibromatosis.