Good Article on Mitochondria and neuropathy - Johns Hopkins
 

This is interesting... I'll add it to our Mitochondrial thread here.

Thanks for posting it.

Thanks!
Sorry, I did not realize that there was already a Mitochondrial thread.
I Should have searched 1st.
Ready, Fire, Aim!
:-)

That is okay, I am used to moving stuff around here. No problemo! ;)

Love the fact that they mention height as a problem. Neither of my neurologists mentioned my height as a complicating factor, but as a 6'2" woman with a 36" inseam, nerve impulses have quite a trip to make. My wingspan is 78". Only my podiatrist said that my height definitely made my condition worse. The article doesn't mention hereditary neuropathies, but I have to assume it doesn't help my symptoms or progression.

Makes total sense about the height thing. Just like "propagation delay" when dealing in electrical circuits. Just takes longer for the signal to reach it's destination.
I'm 6'1" so I feel your pain...

Hmmmm.... if your arm span is longer than your height, that is a general indicator for Marfan's syndrome. Were you ever tested for that? This genetic disorder, affects the collagen in the body and also the aorta integrity (and other blood vessels). I'd consider discussing this with your doctor, as many women are hidden with this disorder.

Actually my second eldest son, 25, was recently asked about this by the orthopedic surgeon he was sent to after a car accident. He has developed winged scapula as a result of the accident, but is 6'4" with the same body proportions. Very long hands and fingers as well. He does has a compromised heart/lung condition due to a collapsed rib cage, 5 on the Haler index, which kept him out of OCS and ruined his career plans for law enforcement. His physique is awkward and fragile to say the least. At Walter Reed, where they sent him after seeing 3 army doctors, they said basic training would kill him. His lungs cannot expand. The ortho decided not to test for it because I don't appear to have it.
Neither neuro suggested Marfan's, and other than extremely high triglycerides I do not appear to have any heart disease markers.

I think one of us probably should be tested. Everything I have read about Marfan's seems to indicate more of a discernible, serious heart condition. If you think it can be hidden I should get tested for the children's sake. I already have guilt over passing this (CMT) on to at least one of them.

I knew a family of Marfan's from one of my jobs.

The women seem to have less obvious "symptoms" than the men.
The woman (Mother) I worked with had dilated aorta when pregnant only, and that was her only symptom which was silent.

Her daughter who is very tall -over 6ft, (mother is 5'8") had a ligament problem in her ankle. She twisted it, and it never seemed to heal from the sprain, and eventually a year later limping around, she went to an orthopedic surgeon, who said her ligament dissolved away after the injury (maybe due to the Marfan's genetic contribution). She had a reconstructive thing done where a partial tendon was taken from her thigh...and I don't know if that worked for her, as I retired and left that job.

There was also a Mystery Diagnosis show on Discovery once about a woman with "hidden" Marfan's. She was only diagnosed after one of her sons was tested. She was completely asymptomatic. But I wonder with your PN, if there is some connection involving the tendons, and collagen affecting the nerves etc?
I think it is worth following up upon, given that the gal I knew had a ligament totally dissolve away, and that created great pain for her. She was only 20 yrs old!

Susanne, I'm going to send you some links via PM later today.
I am finding interesting papers, that may help you. ;)