How does neurofibromatosis spread?

Answer 1

German pathologist Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen is credited with first describing neurofibromatosis type 1 in 1882. NF1 is often called â??von Recklinghausen syndromeâ?? as a result. Scottish JH Wishart is credited with first describing neurofibromatosis type 2 in 1820.

Answer 2

The term "spread" generally suggests a disease - which the neurofibromatoses are not. My comments refer primarily to neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), which I am more familiar with, but the basic genetic concepts are similar in the rarer NF2.

NF1 is a genetic anomaly, the result of a error in the fundamental code of a specific part of a specific gene. This error may be brought into the picture by a similar defect in the genes of one of the parents, or through a new error introduced in the making of the egg or sperm. About 50% cases of NF1 are inherited, and the other half are new mutations.

There are currently no indicators that NF1 is increasing or decreasing in the population - generally presumed to be about one in 3,500.

You cannot "catch" a genetic mutation such as NF, nor can it be cured. However, the many possible manifestations of NF1 can be alleviated my modern medicine, and it is possible that it will one day be controllable to the point that most people with it can live near-normal, comfortable lives.

Answer 3

Neurofibromatosis is an autosomal dominant disorder which means it is indeed hereditary. If a parent has neurofibromatosis (also known as NF) there is a 50% chance that each child will inherit the disorder. NF does not skip generations, so if one inherits the gene one inherits the disorder. If a child does not inherit it from a parent, then they cannot pass it along. However, it is important to note that because the NF gene is so large, with over 1000 different mutations, approximately half the cases are what are known as spontaneous mutations which means there is no family history of the disorder. However, once someone does have a spontaneous mutation of neurofibromatosis, then there is a 50 /50 chance of passing it down to any of their children.

Answer 4

this disorder is half inherited by parents and the other half by a gene mutation.