What is neurofibromatosis?
A person with neurofibromatosis has abnormal nerve cells that multiply out of control. The abnormal cells form tumors around nerves in the skin, spinal cord, and brain. These tumors can place pressure against the nerves, spinal cord and brain, causing them to malfunction. Neurofibromatosis is an inherited disease; the body lacks a protein that normally prevents tumors from forming.

What are the symptoms of neurofibromatosis?
Symptoms of neurofibromatosis vary with the location of the tumors. Common symptoms of neurofibromatosis include coffee-colored skin lesions, freckling of the skin in the armpits, and soft tissue tumors that hang from the skin. Additional symptoms of neurofibromatosis include dizziness, tinnitus, scoliosis, and poor balance.

How does the doctor treat neurofibromatosis?
There is no cure for neurofibromatosis. Treatment for neurofibromatosis may include chemotherapy and surgery.