Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis known as Lou Gehrig's disease is a fatal, degenerative disease of the nervous system. ALS affects the brain cells that carry impulses from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles. This disorder results in muscular weakness and the progressive wasting of muscles due to the loss of nerve supply. A combination of both upper and lower motor neuron involvement causes muscle atrophy, muscle twitching, and spasticity.
The pathology and etiology of ALS is unknown which makes for a long, difficult process of elimination when attempting to diagnosis this condition. This process may include tests such as MRI, EMG, and blood tests. Although, these tests will not give a definite diagnosis of ALS, they will rule out the possibility of other similar conditions.
There are typically two categories ALS patients may fall into. Progressive bulbar palsy also known as bulbar ALS is one category, which affects the upper motor neurons and cortico spinal processes. This category usually affects the muscles of the tongue, jaw, face, and larynx. The other category is termed progressive spinal muscular atrophy or limb-onset ALS, which affects the lower motor neurons. The typical muscles affected in this category are the arms and legs.
When patients present with bulbar onset ALS, their symptoms are typically dysarthria (speech problems), sialorrhea (drooling), and emotional incontinence. These symptoms will progressively get worse and may cause the patient to have difficulty eating without aspiration of food or liquid into the lungs. This may require patient to have a feeding tube inserted. The patient is also at risk for respiratory failure which may require a need for an assisted breathing device or ventilator. Bulbar ALS also eventually affects the limbs causing weakness of the muscles and fasciculations. The bulbar onset ALS patients generally have a faster disease progression than limb-onset patients.
He acquired ALS in 1939 at the age of 38. ... ALS occurs in both sexes and all races, although men are much more likely to get ALS than women. ... ALS is not contagious, but at least 10% of ALS cases are hereditary. This is called familial ALS. ... ALS is almost always fatal. ...
ALS research needs to become more prevalent and publicized by educating people about what ALS is, the three types of ALS and some of famous cases of ALS. ... (What Is ALS) Early Symptoms of ALS can be easily overlooked or dismissed. ... (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)) This is a lead in the fight against ALS but mutations on chromosomes 2, 9, 15, 18, and on the X chromosome also have been linked to Familial ALS. ... There are two other minor types of ALS called juvenile ALS and Hiramaya ALS. ... This is why ALS research needs to become more prevalent and publicized by educating people a...
ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder with various causes. ... The challenge ultimately had two main goals, to raise money for ALS research, and to raise awareness for ALS. Pete Frates, a Bostonian who was diagnosed with ALS in March 2012, is widely credited with starting the challenge itself (ALS). ... The rules of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge are very simple. ... The two main charities that benefitted the most as a result of this phenomenon were the ALS Association and Project ALS. ...
Lou Gehrig's Disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ("ALS") The Cause of ALS Because ALS selectively destroys the motor neurons in the nervous system, several hypotheses have been put forth as to the cause or perhaps causes of ALS. ... Distribution of ALS ALS is a global disease but is very rare. ... As rare as ALS is unfortunately it is incurable. ... ALS could start in any person at any time. ... Lou Gehrig later died of ALS. ...
Last summer, one thrilling game quickly spread and became the talk of the social internet-ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. ... ALS is short for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which is "a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord" (ALS Association). ... More and more people are getting involved in the effort to help ALS patients. ... "Since July 29, 2014, The ALS Association has received $115 million in donations" (ALS Association), while according to the financial report of ALS Association the "revenue from all sources f...
There are two different types of ALS: sporadic and familial. Sporadic ALS, meaning that it is received from concussions and blows to the head, makes up 90-95% of all ALS cases. The other 5-10% of cases are familial ALS, which means that the disease was extracted from genetics. One who has been diagnosed with ALS is usually given a life expectancy of two more years. ... Both ALS and CTE's have been found to be linked with brain trauma and concussions. ...
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or (ALS) is classified as an autoimmune disease. ... People who have ALS often develop problems swallowing. ... ALS is classified as an autoimmune disease. ... There is no known cure for ALS. ... There is also a specific medication for ALS, called Rilutek. ...
The vast majority of ALS cases are, in fact, not inherited, but caused by some unknown reason. Approximately, 10% of all ALS cases are caused by heredity, while the other 90% through speculated viral and environmental causes. ... Several different mutations in this enzyme all result in ALS, making the exact molecular cause of the disease difficult to determine. ... This is known as "Bulbar ALS". ... This drug is an anti-oxidant, which has been shown to prolong the surivial of ALS patients. ...
