Modafinil Reduces Fatigue in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1A: A Case Series

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Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2006 Sep-Oct;23(5):412-6.

Modafinil Reduces Fatigue in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1A: A

Case Series.

GT, Han JJ, Mayadev A, Weiss MD.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington

School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, the most common hereditary motor and

sensory neuropathy, is a slowly progressive disorder characterized

by diffuse muscle weakness and prominent distal atrophy that

predominantly involves the intrinsic muscles of the feet and the

peroneal muscles. It results in marked reduction in functional

aerobic capacity during exercise and fatigue is commonly reported.

To date, no pharmacologic treatment has been shown to be effective

for treating fatigue in Charcot-Marie-Tooth. Modafinil is used to

treat the symptoms of fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness in

narcolepsy. However, fatigue and subsequent excessive daytime

sleepiness secondary to fatigue are common symptoms in many

neurologic disorders. Prior reports on patients with myotonic

muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, have shown beneficial effects of

modafinil in treating fatigue. We report 4 patients with genetically

confirmed Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease who had significant fatigue

that was almost completely relieved by modafinil.