A group of inherited conditions that affect the peripheral nervous system.
The most common type is Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease – read more about this condition
Symptoms vary and can include numbness, tingling, pain in the feet and hands, weakness and loss of muscle bulk, particularly in the lower leg and feet muscles. A few conditions result in problems with sweating or insensitivity to pain. Others include high arches and hammer toes, thin calf muscles or scoliosis (curvature of the spine).
The symptoms of hereditary neuropathies may appear at birth or later in life. They can vary among different family members, with some family members being more severely affected than others.
About 23,000 people in the UK have a form of hereditary neuropathy.