Gender response to neurofibromatosis 1

This paper explores differing patterns of gender response to neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), a neurological genetic disorder. Perceptions of gender response expressed by persons with the condition and research findings about lifestyle and attitudinal differences related to the lived experience of coping with the condition and its consequences are discussed. Possible explanations for the causes of major social lifestyle differences between the genders are suggested. The data presented here have resulted from interviews with 30 affected individuals and parents of affected children recruited through NF support groups and from the caseloads of the Genetics Departments of two metropolitan hospitals.