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AUSTIN, TEX. – Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) receive a range of supportive care that includes physical therapy, surgery, medications, orthoses, and walking aids, according to patient-reported data presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Patients describe approaches to CMT management that are broadly consistent with guidelines, researchers said.
“The range of different CMT treatments was wide,” reported Tjalf Ziemssen, MD, PhD, a researcher at Technische Universität Dresden in Germany, and colleagues. “ These results indicate that pain may have a substantial impact on people with CMT.”
The data also suggest that “lower-limb problems and mobility issues have a considerable impact on people with CMT,” they said.
CMT is a rare, progressive neuropathy that leads to distal muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, and sensory loss. There is no cure, and patients rely on supportive care. Until recently, few studies have assessed the impact of CMT on patients’ lives.
An ongoing, international, 2-year observational study is collecting data from adults with CMT. Patients report data via an app called CMT & Me.
To examine patient-reported treatment patterns and care standards for CMT in the United States and the United Kingdom, Dr. Ziemssen and colleagues analyzed data through Aug. 5, 2019, about 9.5 months into the study. Their interim analysis included data from 439 patients, including 222 patients in the United Kingdom and 217 in the United States.
More than 70% of participants visit a family doctor each year, and a similar proportion visit a neurologist. About 40% visit physical therapists, orthotists, or podiatrists. Other health care professionals seen by patients include occupational therapists (20%), orthopedic surgeons (nearly 20%), and pain specialists (about 15%).
About 70% of participants had received rehabilitation therapy such as physical therapy or occupational therapy, and about 70% had used medications, most frequently nonopioid analgesics (about 50%) and antidepressants (about 30%).
More than 80% used orthoses or walking aids, most commonly ankle or leg braces, insoles, or walking sticks.
In addition, about half of respondents had undergone a surgery for CMT. The most common procedures were osteotomy, hammertoe correction, and plantar fascia release.
Together, patients saw about a dozen types of health care professionals. “Small proportions of participants had visited each professional, which suggests that the care requirements of CMT patients are varied,” the researchers said.
The study was sponsored by Pharnext. Dr. Ziemssen and coauthors received compensation for participating in the study. Other coauthors are employees of Pharnext or Vitaccess, the company that developed the app used in the study.
SOURCE: Ziemssen T et al. AANEM 2019. Abstract 83. Treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease in the United Kingdom and United States.
AUSTIN, TEX. – Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) receive a range of supportive care that includes physical therapy, surgery, medications, orthoses, and walking aids, according to patient-reported data presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Patients describe approaches to CMT management that are broadly consistent with guidelines, researchers said.
“The range of different CMT treatments was wide,” reported Tjalf Ziemssen, MD, PhD, a researcher at Technische Universität Dresden in Germany, and colleagues. “ These results indicate that pain may have a substantial impact on people with CMT.”
The data also suggest that “lower-limb problems and mobility issues have a considerable impact on people with CMT,” they said.
CMT is a rare, progressive neuropathy that leads to distal muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, and sensory loss. There is no cure, and patients rely on supportive care. Until recently, few studies have assessed the impact of CMT on patients’ lives.
An ongoing, international, 2-year observational study is collecting data from adults with CMT. Patients report data via an app called CMT & Me.
To examine patient-reported treatment patterns and care standards for CMT in the United States and the United Kingdom, Dr. Ziemssen and colleagues analyzed data through Aug. 5, 2019, about 9.5 months into the study. Their interim analysis included data from 439 patients, including 222 patients in the United Kingdom and 217 in the United States.
More than 70% of participants visit a family doctor each year, and a similar proportion visit a neurologist. About 40% visit physical therapists, orthotists, or podiatrists. Other health care professionals seen by patients include occupational therapists (20%), orthopedic surgeons (nearly 20%), and pain specialists (about 15%).
About 70% of participants had received rehabilitation therapy such as physical therapy or occupational therapy, and about 70% had used medications, most frequently nonopioid analgesics (about 50%) and antidepressants (about 30%).
More than 80% used orthoses or walking aids, most commonly ankle or leg braces, insoles, or walking sticks.
In addition, about half of respondents had undergone a surgery for CMT. The most common procedures were osteotomy, hammertoe correction, and plantar fascia release.
Together, patients saw about a dozen types of health care professionals. “Small proportions of participants had visited each professional, which suggests that the care requirements of CMT patients are varied,” the researchers said.
The study was sponsored by Pharnext. Dr. Ziemssen and coauthors received compensation for participating in the study. Other coauthors are employees of Pharnext or Vitaccess, the company that developed the app used in the study.
SOURCE: Ziemssen T et al. AANEM 2019. Abstract 83. Treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease in the United Kingdom and United States.
AUSTIN, TEX. – Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) receive a range of supportive care that includes physical therapy, surgery, medications, orthoses, and walking aids, according to patient-reported data presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Patients describe approaches to CMT management that are broadly consistent with guidelines, researchers said.
“The range of different CMT treatments was wide,” reported Tjalf Ziemssen, MD, PhD, a researcher at Technische Universität Dresden in Germany, and colleagues. “ These results indicate that pain may have a substantial impact on people with CMT.”
The data also suggest that “lower-limb problems and mobility issues have a considerable impact on people with CMT,” they said.
CMT is a rare, progressive neuropathy that leads to distal muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, and sensory loss. There is no cure, and patients rely on supportive care. Until recently, few studies have assessed the impact of CMT on patients’ lives.
An ongoing, international, 2-year observational study is collecting data from adults with CMT. Patients report data via an app called CMT & Me.
To examine patient-reported treatment patterns and care standards for CMT in the United States and the United Kingdom, Dr. Ziemssen and colleagues analyzed data through Aug. 5, 2019, about 9.5 months into the study. Their interim analysis included data from 439 patients, including 222 patients in the United Kingdom and 217 in the United States.
More than 70% of participants visit a family doctor each year, and a similar proportion visit a neurologist. About 40% visit physical therapists, orthotists, or podiatrists. Other health care professionals seen by patients include occupational therapists (20%), orthopedic surgeons (nearly 20%), and pain specialists (about 15%).
About 70% of participants had received rehabilitation therapy such as physical therapy or occupational therapy, and about 70% had used medications, most frequently nonopioid analgesics (about 50%) and antidepressants (about 30%).
More than 80% used orthoses or walking aids, most commonly ankle or leg braces, insoles, or walking sticks.
In addition, about half of respondents had undergone a surgery for CMT. The most common procedures were osteotomy, hammertoe correction, and plantar fascia release.
Together, patients saw about a dozen types of health care professionals. “Small proportions of participants had visited each professional, which suggests that the care requirements of CMT patients are varied,” the researchers said.
The study was sponsored by Pharnext. Dr. Ziemssen and coauthors received compensation for participating in the study. Other coauthors are employees of Pharnext or Vitaccess, the company that developed the app used in the study.
SOURCE: Ziemssen T et al. AANEM 2019. Abstract 83. Treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease in the United Kingdom and United States.
REPORTING FROM AANEM 2019