Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, otherwise known as ALS, is a disease of the nervous system that controls muscle movement. With ALS, your motor neurons (cells that control muscle cells) are lost. As these are lost, the muscles become weak and eventually will quit working all together.
Another name for ALS is Lou Gehrig's disease. It is named after the New York Yankees baseball player who died because of the disease in 1941. The full name of ALS comes from Greek roots; Amyotrophic translates to "without nourishment to muscles" which refers to the lost motor neuron cells, Lateral means "to the side" which refers to the side of the spine where the muscle cells are lost, and Sclerosis is "hardened" which refers to the nature of the spinal cord
…show more content…
Men are slightly more common to get ALS than women. The causes of ALS are not known. Most scientists believe that some people may be predestined to develop the disease because of their genes. One thing that is for sure is that the disease can not be spread or "caught". It is not a disease that can be transmitted through touch, taste, smell, etc.
Although most ALS diagnoses are random, almost 10 percent of cases run in the family. A common mistake is thinking ALS is a genetic disease. There is no way to prove it for certain, since parents obtain the disease and some kids will get it and some won't. In about 90 percent of the cases of ALS, the person is the only family member to have the disease.
ALS symptoms include weak, stiff, or tight muscles. Cramps and twitches of the muscle are also common. These symptoms can either be limited to one body part or multiple- even all- body parts. The beginning of ALS usually begin in the muscles used for talking and swallowing. As the disease progresses, the muscles affected become paralyzed. Only voluntary muscles are affected with this disease. Involuntary muscular functions, including heartbeat, bowel and bladder functions, and sexual functions are still able to work properly. Vision, hearing and touch are also
On December 1, 2012, a patient by the name of John Dough walks into the medical assistant’s office. The patient is five foot 11 inches tall, currently he is 70 years old and weighs approximately 211 pounds. The patient has no known allergies does not smoke and has a relatively clean health record. After filling out the patient medical history forms, the patient is seen by the doctor. The patient explains to the doctor that lately he has had trouble lifting object he would not normally have trouble with, as well as walking short distances, and being very fatigued. After further examination the patient explains how he recently found a tick on his back and removed it, but now there is a red bullseye on his back. The physician suggests a blood sample be taken and sent to the laboratory. To help with weakness and fatigue he recommends the patient to get a good nights sleep and drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. He also wants the patient to limit medication intake that could contribute to fatigue such as cold and allergy medicines and make sure to finish all daily exercising three to four hours before bed. The patient schedules a check up two weeks later.
It was not until 1995, when he was dying from ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, that Morrie ended his career as a professor. A fatal neuromuscular disease, ALS is characterized by progressive muscle debilitation that ultimately results in paralysis. ALS is commonly known as Lou Gherig's disease, after the famous baseball player who died of the disease in 1941 at the age of forty. Mitch Albom recalls his graduation from Brandeis University in the spring of 1979. After he has received his diploma, Mitch approaches his favorite professor, Morrie Schwartz, and presents him with a monogrammed briefcase.
There is no cure for ALS at this time and treatment is focused on management of the symptoms, involving a combination of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech, respiratory, and nutritional therapies. Moderate exercise may help maintain muscle strength and function. Drugs can also treat excessive saliva and drooling, and speech therapy can help compensate for loss of muscular control of the mouth. As the disease progresses and muscular degeneration spreads throughout the body, various devices may provide support, such as ankle braces, neck collars, reclining chairs, wheelchairs, and hospital beds. Respiratory support and feeding tubes are required when the person loses cont...
· genetics: occasionally the disease has a tendency to run in certain families (inherited or genetic predisposition), but this is not common.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly referred to as ALS, is a disease that can alter the daily life of a human in monumental and unending ways. In one of her articles about ALS, Caroline Ingre (2015) states that the disease is a “fatal neurodegenerative disorder” and further supports this by noting how the disease is marked by the degeneration in motor neurons in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord (p. 181). This basically means that
Lou Gehrig's disease is often referred to as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), this is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons come from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the entire body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS would eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is also lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, for this reason patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed (Choi, 1988).
Spinal Muscular Atrophy affects about 8 out of every 100,000 live births and also causes death among more babies than any other genetic disease out there. About one in every forty people has this gene in them but may not have SMA so they are a genetic carrier. But in order for a child to have SMA, both parents have to carry the mutated gene and passed it to the child. Therefore this causes the child to have double copies of the abnormal gene. About 1 in 40 men and 1 in 80 women are carriers of the gene.
have been cases of ALS linked with the mutation in the gene that produces SOD1
Where and how this deadly disease originated is unknown, but it was first identified in 1869, by the noted French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. ALS is not contagious, but research is still vague on the cause of the disease. Today, there are three recognized forms of ALS: genetic, sporadic, and Guamanian. The genetic form of ALS appears to be inherited or passed down within a family, and about ten percent of ALS patients have a family history of the disease. An abnormal gene has been located in about half these families, but the cause of the remaining half is still unknown. The next, most common form, is sporadic ALS. These patients have no family history of disease, and the cause of their coming down with ALS is a mystery. Finally, is Guamanian ALS, called this because a high percentage of cases occur in the Pacific Islands near Guam.
The overview definition of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is defined in the Medical Dictionary for Allied Health as a “progressive degenerative disease of the lateral columns of the spinal cord leading to weakness paralysis and death (Breskin, 2008).” This definition is brief but by looking at this one helps to better define the disease, which follows. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig disease the progressive destruction is of the motor neuron this results in muscular atrophy. The nerve cells effected are from the brain to the spinal cord and the spinal cord to the peripheral these are the nerves that control muscle movement. ALS affects muscles that are controlled by conscious thought, this includes arms, legs, and trunk muscles. ALS leaves sensation, thought processes, the heart muscle, digestive system, bladder, and other internal organs unaffected.
There is not one specific test created to determine whether or not someone has ALS. It is all done through a series of test and examinations to detect if the symptoms mimic those of ALS. When diagnosing physicians look for signs of muscle deterioration in the lower motor neurons, which are located in the spinal cord and brain stem, signs of deterioration in the upper motor neurons, located in the brain. Both are done by clinical examination and specialized testing. From there they begin to rule-out other neurological diseases and begin an in-depth medical and family history and physical examination to start a neurologic work-up, testing specific nerve points and nerve functions. The next step if ALS is suspected is an electromyogram (EMG). This test measures the signals that run between nerves and muscles and the electrical activity inside muscles to see if there is a pattern consistent with ALS. If there is additional test may involve imaging the spinal cord and brain by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and they will test the fluid surrounding the spinal cord (spinal tap or lumbar puncture), this is done by inserting a needle into the back between the two lower vertebrae. Even then diagnosing ALS is often a “rule-out” procedure. Meaning that ALS is only diagnosed after all possibilities of any other kind of neurological disease has been ruled out by specific tests, and still the physician will usually
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL), Lou Gehrig’s disease, a brutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system with no known cure.
ALS is a disease of the nervous system. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis can be directly translated to mean muscle wasting. Only 10% of cases can be traced to familial causes, the other 90% of cases are completely random. Only six to eight of every 100,000 people are diagnosed with ALS, making it a rare disease. ALS is a degenerative disease that affects the motor neurons of the in the cerebral cortex and the motor neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord. The loss of these neurons is progressive and asymmetrical, there is no remission, and the muscle weakness will get to the respiratory system and affect breathing ability eventually (Gould & Dyer, 2011).
As with any disease there are factors that may put one at more risk for developing the disease. The most common risk factor is age. After 65, the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease doubles every 5 years - this means as you age you are more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Although, in early onset, people can be diagnosed as early as in their thirties - there are 500,000 people in America living with early onset Alzheimer’s. Being female is another risk factor. Women are more likely than men to be living with Alzheimer’s. Two-thirds of people living with Alzheimer’s in America are women. Another risk factor is genetic predisposition or family history. Some avoidable risk factors involve head injury and heart health...
It is mostly found in people 40-60 years old. The number of people who have ALS is very small. “In the United States, as many as 20,000 to 30,000 people have the disease, and about 5,000 people are diagnosed with it each year” (Lewis). There are many different variations of the disease, so it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of it. One form of the disease has been found to be caused by a mutation of the SOD1 enzyme.