A rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

Isabelle Tate, born and raised in Nashville and a Middle Tennessee State University graduate, is remembered for her love of music, animal shelters, and friends. (Image: McCray Agency/Instagram)((Image: McCray Agency/Instagram))

Isabelle Adora Tate, a 23-year-old actress on "9-1-1: Nashville," died on Sunday. She was 23.

Her agent told Fox News Digital that "Isabelle ‘Izzy’ Tate had a rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. She passed away peacefully on the 19th of October."

"The family requests privacy as they deal with this sudden and shocking loss," the agent reportedly said. Tate is survived by her mother, stepfather, father and sister.

What is Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease?

According to Mayo Clinic, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a group of inherited conditions (passed down through families) that cause nerve damage. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is also called hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy.

Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health described it as a genetic conditions that affect the nerves connecting the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease causes smaller, weaker muscles. It may also cause trouble walking and loss of feeling in the legs and feet, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Foot issues such as hammertoes and high arches are also common. Symptoms most often begin in the feet and legs. But in time, they may affect the hands and arms.

People with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease most often get symptoms in the teen years or early adulthood. But symptoms also may start in midlife or in the toddler years.

What to know about Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

Symptoms: Symptoms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease may include weakness in the legs, ankles and feet, muscle shrinking, high foot arches, curled toes (hammertoes), trouble walking, running, lifting the foot at the ankle; tripping or falling often and loss of feeling in the legs and feet. Other symptoms may include curved spine (scoliosis), nerve pain, hip displacement abd muscle cramps.

As per Mayo Clinic, these gene changes most often pass down through families. But new gene changes can happen when there's no family history of changed genes. Sometimes, these gene changes damage the nerve.

Prevention: Since Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a hereditary disease, there's no way to prevent it. If you have the condition, genetic testing may help you with family planning.

Who is more likely to get Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease? Those with a family history of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease are more likely to develop it. However, if a person has CMT, that doesn’t mean their children will have it, but it does increase the risk, the NIH said.

Isabelle Tate diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease at 13

Isabelle Tate was in a wheelchair due to a rare neuromuscular disease, which she opened up about on her Instagram in 2022.

"When I was 13, I got diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease that weakens my leg muscles over time. When I was first diagnosed, I couldn’t fully understand what it was or grasp what it could be," she wrote at the time.

She said, “Recently, it’s really progressed and I’ve come to terms that if I want to live my life to the fullest I need to use a wheelchair at time.”

"This has been a difficult journey for me because having to accept help and surrender to the progression of this condition has been extremely hard. While I was trying to come to terms with this, I really did find that I lost myself in certain ways," she said.

"I hated that it was not only breaking me down physically, but I was allowing it to also break down my spirit," she added.

Akriti Anand

https://www.livemint.com/us/hollywood/isabelle-tates-cause-of-death-confirmed-what-is-charcot-marie-tooth-disease-11761263483669.html