Neurofibromatosis: Genetic Disorder that Ceases Cell Growth in the Nervous System

Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder that ceases cell growth in the nervous system and it can cause tumors to grow on the nervous tissue. These tumors can occur anywhere in the nervous system, this includes the brain, nerves, the spinal cord, skin, and many more of the body's systems. These tumors tend to be benign or in other words they are non-cancerous. The development of these benign tumors may cause skin and or bone abnormalities. These tumors, also known as neurofibromas, form on nerves along the body and they also form underneath the skin. As the tumors increase in size, they may press against vital sections of the body causing abnormalities in bodily functions. This disorder is usually diagnosed during early childhood and around early adulthood. Neurofibromas usually appear first in children but they can cease to occur until one reaches adolescence. It can occur during infancy but it most often occurs in children between the ages of three and sixteen years old. This disorder is a genetically determined disorder and it affects approximately 100,000 Americans as of right now. Out of every 3,000 people, one of those people have neurofibromatosis. There are three different types as classified by scientists, neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), and Schwannomatosis. Neurofibromatosis has affected more people than diseases such as muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, and Huntington’s disease combined. Since this is a genetic disorder one will either inherit it from a parent who has neurofibromatosis, or it will occur due to a mutation in the egg or sperm. For every child of an affected parent who has NF1 or NF2 there is a 50% chance that the child will be positive for the disorder. However for schwannomatosis there is only a 15% chance of a child inheriting the disorder. Further research for cures of neurofibromatosis has been going on for about eighteen years and it was started by the Children's Tumor Foundation. The disease is