Also called: Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy · Peroneal muscular atrophy
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a group of genetic nerve disorders. It is named after the three doctors who first identified it. In the United States, CMT affects about 1 in 2,500 people.
CMT affects your peripheral nerves. Peripheral nerves carry movement and sensation signals between the brain and spinal cord and the rest of the body. Symptoms usually start around the teen years. Foot problems such as high arches or hammertoes can be early symptoms. As CMT progresses, your lower legs may weaken. Later, your hands may also become weak.
Doctors diagnose CMT by doing a neurologic exam, nerve tests, genetic tests, or a nerve biopsy. There is no cure. The disease can be so mild you don't realize you have it or severe enough to make you weak. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, braces and other devices and sometimes surgery can help.
It sits within Brain and Nerves and Genetics/Birth Defects.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
218 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- A First in Human Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of EDK060 in Adults With CMT1A.Novartis Pharmaceuticals
- Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation to Improve Language in Down Syndrome.Floriana Costanzo
- Clinical Trial Evaluating the Impact of an Intensive Rehabilitation Program Combined With Tendon Vibratory Stimulation on Functional Balance in Individuals With Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1AUGECAM PACA et Corse
- Study of Intrathecal ELP-02 for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 4J (CMT4J)Elpida Therapeutics SPC
- A Prospective Natural History and Outcome Measure Discovery Study of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, Type 4JElpida Therapeutics SPC
- Efficacy and Safety of Remibrutinib Compared to Teriflunomide in Participants With Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS)Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Research already completed
- Turkish Adaptation of the CTS-6 Evaluation Tool: A Validation and Reliability StudyIstanbul University
- The Effectiveness of Low-Level Laser Therapy in the Treatment of Meralgia ParestheticaIstanbul Training and Research Hospital
- Evaluation of the Analgesic Efficiency of the Transcutaneous Neurostimulation in the Charcot Syndrome Marie Tooth on the Pains of Lower LimbsCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth DiseaseMuscular Dystrophy Association
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth DiseaseNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Symptoms
- Signs and Symptoms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT)Muscular Dystrophy Association
Diagnosis and Tests
- Electromyography (EMG) and Nerve Conduction StudiesNational Library of Medicine
Treatments and Therapies
- Medical ManagementMuscular Dystrophy Association
Related Issues
- Peripheral NeuropathyNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Genetics
- Causes/Inheritance -- Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT)Muscular Dystrophy Association
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Charcot-Marie-Tooth DiseaseNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.