Once a person has Neurofibromatosis, he or she will have a 50 percent chance of passing it on to his or her offspring. Researchers have found that white people are more likely ten black people to suffer from benign tumors. This information shows that a single gene disorder manifests itself in other genes in a NF carrier. The tumors occur in appoximently one out of five white patients, but only in one out of 65 black patients. Symptoms of Neurofibromatosis vary by the type and also with the individual.
Patients usually have six or more of cafe au lait spots.
Disfigurement mainly on the face region,also may occur. The two common causes of premature death in adults with NF1 are cancer and cardiovascular disease. Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular problem with NF1 patients. Occasionally, the tumors develop in the brain, on cranial tissues, or in nerves. Fifty percent of NF1 patients have learning disabilities.