Muscle weakness in children with neurofibromatosis type 1

Abstract

Aim: To investigate if children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) have reduced muscle strength compared with children with typical development. Method: Maximal isometric strength of 15 upper and lower limb muscle groups was evaluated in 30 children with NF1 (16 males, 14 females; aged 4-16y) and 30 age-, sex-, height-, and weight-matched controls using hand-held dynamometry by a single evaluator. Both the left and right sides were assessed. Results: Children with NF1 were significantly weaker than children with typical development across all 15 muscle groups assessed (p0.05). Magnitude of differences between the children with NF1 compared with the controls ranged from 3% to 43%. Males and ..