What is Neurofibromatosis?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="044d4c03.jpg"> <div> <B><U>Fast Facts</U></B></div> <div> <B>Neurofibromatosis</B> is a neurological disorder that can cause tumors to form on the nerves <B>anywhere</B> on or in the body at <B>any</B> time.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Neurofibromatosis </B>affects all races and both sexes equally, therefore can affect any family.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Neurofibromatosis </B>has no known cure or effective treatment other than surgery on the tumors, which has a 70% chance of growing back.</div> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Arial" ><B>NF TEAM</B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Arial" >   |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="NF TEAM">home</A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id119.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Introduction">Introduction</A>   |   <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mission">Mission</A>   |   <B>What is Neurofibromatosis?</B>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact me">Contact me</A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Help find a cure!">Help find a cure!</A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Latest Research">Latest Research</A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Event Sponsors Page">Event Sponsor's Page</A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Related Links">Related Links</A>   |   <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Updates on Shannon">Updates on Shannon</A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Upcoming Events">Upcoming Events</A>   |   <A HREF="id110.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Gallery">Photo Gallery</A>   |   <A HREF="id121.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="NF Heroes">NF Heroes</A></div> <div> What is Neurofibromatosis?</div> <div> "Neuro-what?" That is what most people say when they first hear about Neurofibromatosis (NF). </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <embed src="HTMLobj-587/sayitneuro.wav" autostart="false" width="145" height="70">  </div> <div> My reaction was no different. Like most people I had never heard of this condition and I had a lot of questions. I started reading everything I could find that even remotely dealt with NF. I reviewed clinical trials and searched the web for the latest research.  Below is a brief summary of some basic facts and statistics. When time permits please explore the related links section for more detailed information regarding NF. </div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">There are two types of NF; both are neurological disorders that effect nerve tissue .They are caused by different genes, located on different chromosomes. <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Differences NF1, NF2">(</A><A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Differences NF1, NF2"><I><B>Click here</B></I></A><A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Differences NF1, NF2"> to learn more about the difference between NF1 and NF2).</A></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The first type is NF 1. It affects one in 3,500 births worldwide.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The second type is NF 2  it affects 1 in 40,000 births worldwide.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Both NF 1 and NF 2 are genetically-determined disorders. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They affect more than 100,000 Americans; this makes NF more prevalent than Cystic Fibrosis, hereditary Muscular Dystrophy, Huntington's Disease, and Tay Sachs combined.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Both forms of NF can be inherited  from a parent who has NF or may be the result of a new or "spontaneous mutation" (change) in the sperm or egg cell.</div> <div> Although many cases are mild to moderate NF can cause: Pain, Disfigurement, Blindness, Deafness, Skeletal abnormalities, Dermal,Brain, & Spinal tumors, Loss of Limbs, Seizures, Cancer, and Learning Disabilities.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="NF TEAM"><IMG SRC="05c50220.jpg" border=0 width="80" height="34" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>