What is Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease… the devastating condition that killed 9-1-1 Nashville actor Isabelle Tate
The 9-1-1 Nashville actress, who died at age 23, suffered from a neurological disorder that affects 3 million people worldwide, her family said.
Isabelle Tate’s death was revealed on Thursday, and her family said she died on Sunday. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a genetic condition that causes peripheral nerves, such as those in the hands or legs, to gradually deteriorate over time.
Doctors say that patients initially complain of weak leg and arm muscles, and then they begin to have difficulty moving their limbs and lose sensation in these areas.
However, for most patients, the disease is not fatal.
But in rare cases, it can affect the muscles needed for breathing and gradually deprive the person of oxygen. Tate’s family said their daughter had a severe form of the disease.
Tate opened up about her illness in a 2022 Instagram post, explaining how her condition “really progressed.”
He said: ‘When I was 13, I was diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease that weakens the leg muscles over time.
‘As the years went by I was getting on with my life and I was noticing the little things were getting harder for me, but in my eyes they weren’t that hard.’
Isabelle Tate’s obituary describes her as someone who ‘wanted to change the world’ and was ‘full of fire’
He continued: ‘Recently it’s really progressed and I’ve started to accept that if I want to live my life to the fullest I need to use a wheelchair sometimes.
‘This has been a difficult journey for me because it has been difficult to accept help and surrender to the progression of this situation.’
CMT is considered a rare disease, but it is one of the most common inherited nerve disorders and is estimated to affect 1 in 2,500 people in the United States and 3 million people worldwide.
It is named after Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie and Howard Henry Tooth, three doctors who described the disease in 1886.
The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Society says there are more than 160 subtypes identified to date, and all of them are caused by genetic mutations that cause proteins needed for nerves to not work properly.
The most common ones include CMT1, in which the fatty layers covering the nerves break down, damaging the cells, and CMT2, which affects the nerve fibers that transmit impulses from nerve cell bodies to muscles and sensory organs.
Among the deadliest form is CMT Type 4J, caused by mutations in the FIG4 gene, which is important in controlling the transfer of nutrients in nerve cells.
This type of disease can progress rapidly and cause respiratory complications; many people die in childhood.
It was unclear what type of illness Tate was suffering from.
Isabelle Tate earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Middle Tennessee State University
Isabelle Tate played Julie in the pilot episode of the Leann Rimes-led show 9-1-1 Nashville; Seen in a photo above
Patients suffering from this condition are normally diagnosed between the ages of five and 15, when symptoms first begin to appear.
Early warning signs include appearing unusually clumsy or accident-prone, difficulty walking, and toes drooping forward when someone lifts their foot.
In later stages, patients complain of muscle weakness and loss of feeling in the arms and feet.
They may also have cold hands and feet due to poor circulation, and they may regularly feel tired as a result of the extra effort required to move.
Doctors diagnose the disease using a physical exam, nerve conduction testing and genetic testing for muscle weakness.
There is no cure for the disease, but treatments are available to help reduce the symptoms of the disease.
Many patients will be offered physical therapy to strengthen the muscles and reduce the risk of unwanted contractions. Patients may also receive walking aids, such as insoles for their shoes, and therapy to help them identify areas in life where they are struggling.
Country singer Alan Jackson also announced that he was diagnosed with the disease.
Jackson wasn’t diagnosed until he was 52, and he is still alive today, having turned 67 this month.
