The struggle of Living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

1161 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis case study

ALS(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a progressive motor neurone degenerative disease. The disease has different subcathegories but will in the end develope equally and lead to death - usually within the shortness of 3-5 years. This disease has no cure, only a few possibilities of slowing down the progress to help the rapid developement of the life changing symptoms and effects. History and general information ALS, MND(motor neurone disease) or Lou Gehrig’s disease is first noted in a report by Charles Bell in 1824. Although the disease was made «famous» when the baseball player Lou Gehrig died from it in 1939, there is still little awareness of the disease, eventhough the incidence of ALS is five times more likely than Huntington’s disease and on the same level as Multiple Sclerosis. ALS usually develop within the ages of 40 and 70, but it can effect people earlier. There are no known boundaries when it comes to race or etniticity.(Hopkinsmedicine.org, 2013) General characteristics This progressive degeneration of motor neurones affects both the upper and lower motor neurons, which means both the brain and spinal cord are impaired. What happens is what we call demyelination of the axons. Demyelination is damage and dissapearance of the myelin sheath which is needed for the conduction of signals. When the motor neurones can no longer send strong enough signals to the muscles, muscle weakness and atrophy starts taking it’s toll. Although the disease impairs the patients ability to preform daily tasks, makes them lose the ability to move, ALS will not affect a person’s intellect, or senses. There are two main types of ALS: Bulbar onset(25%) and limb onset (75%). Bulbar onset is the less contracted type, and the difference betw... ... middle of paper ... ...ticle.cfm?id=stephen-hawking-als&page=2 http://www.mndassociation.org/life-with-mnd/treatment-and-care/Riluzole http://www.als.net/About-ALS-TDI/What-is-als/?gclid=CIyIofCK8roCFceWtAodOREA0w http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/specialty_areas/als/conditions/als_amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis.html Fundamentals of anatomy & physiology; Martini, Nath, Bartholomew; 9th edition;Essex:Pearson Education Limited http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/amyotrophiclateralsclerosis/detail_ALS.htm#244974842 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/DS00359 http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ http://www.alsa.org/als-care/stories/ http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1170097-overview http://www.webmd.boots.com/a-to-z-guides/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis http://nhi.no/sykdommer/hjerne-nervesystem/ulike-sykdommer/amyotrofisk-lateralsklerose-als-2413.html

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast The Last Lecture By Randy Pausch

    464 Words  | 1 Pages

    It is truly remarkable how Randy Pausch and Morrie Schwartz stories are so similar but yet so different. They both seem to have an outlook on life in a positive way, not sad or demeaning. The only crippling difference is the fact that Morrie was at the age that wasn’t abnormal to be sick and Randy was just dealt the cards for a short life. One of Professor Randy Pausch’s many quotes during The Last Lecture makes a similar point between his experience and Morrie’s when he says, “…it’s hard to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer – people who get it don’t live long enough.” ALS is such a rehabilitating disease that scientist have issues pinpointing the causes to even get close to a cure, which didn’t hinder either of their strive to keep going as far as they could.

    Read More

  • Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy

    1652 Words  | 4 Pages

    Histological examination shows severe degeneration of Purkinje cells, reduction in the number of cells in the molecular and granular layers of the cerebellar cortex, severe loss of the number of cells in the pontine nuclei and olives, and demyelination of the middle cerebellar peduncle. The cerebellar nuclei are well preserved. The tegmentum of the pons, the corticospinal tracts, and the restiform body are also usually unaffected. In clinical cases involving extrapyramidal symptoms, degenerative changes in the striatum, espec...

    Read More

  • Morrie Schwartz

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Stephen Hawking: An Analysis Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Essay

    777 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to ALS Association (2016, para. 1), “Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis eventually leads to their demise.” When our motor neurons die, our brain can no longer control our muscle movement. The survival time for a person living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is up to ten years because eventually a person’s body will shut down completely. According to the Mayo Clinic (2016, para. 2), “As the disease advances and nerve cells are destroyed, your muscles progressively weaken. This eventually affects chewing, swallowing, speaking and breathing.” This disease is very scary to live with because you eventually die from

    Read More

  • Lou Gehrig's Disease

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    As motor neurons degenerate, this obviously means they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that otherwise normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Limbs begin to look thinner as muscle tissue atrophies (Choi, 1988).

    Read More

  • Still Alice by Lisa Genova

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alzheimer’s disease was first defined in 1906 by a German psychiatrist, Alois Alzheimer. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. It is a progressive brain disorder in which the nerve cells in the brain gradually die off. It is estimated that 26 million people world-wide are afflicted by Alzheimer’s and of those, approximately 4.5 million live in the United States. It is said to be the seventh leading cause of death in the USA and the fifth leading cause of death for those over age 65. Seventeen percent of women and ten percent of men age 55 and older can expect to develop Alzheimer’s (apa.org, 2009). Researchers report that this disease is more prevalent in African Americans and Hispanics than in whites (Crandell, Crandell, and Zanden, 2009, p. 578).

    Read More

  • Outline For Als Research Paper

    415 Words  | 1 Pages

    always able to ,but you cannot make your body function. In the last stages of ALS

    Read More

  • Multiple Sclerosis

    2024 Words  | 5 Pages

    In this essay, the disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS) will be reviewed. This piece of work will lay emphasis on the pathophysiological, psychosocial, economic and cognitive effects it has on the individual, family and society. It will also make mention of how a professional nurse would support the individual, the family/carer, the nursing process and the professional role of the nurse according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of conduct which sets a standard for all nurses and midwives (NMC, 2008) . It has been chosen because this chronic disorder is quite prevalent in the UK.

    Read More

  • Als

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    Early symptoms of ALS are very slight and often overlooked. They begin as simple things, such as tripping or dropping things. Twitching or cramping of muscles and abnormal fatigue of the arms and legs may soon follow, causing difficulty in daily activities, such as walking or dressing. In more advanced stages, however, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing and swallowing ensue, until the body is completely taken over by the disease. Intellect, eye motion, bladder function, and sensation are the only abilities spared.

    Read More

  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Guillain- Barre Syndrome

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    When a person begins to suffer from Guillain- Barre Syndrome their myelin sheath of their nervous system is being attacked and destroyed by the immune system (NINDS, 2011). The myelin sheath begins to lose its ability to transmit signals rapidly and affectively. Since signals are not getting transmitted to the brain fast enough, a person begins to notice fewer sensory responses from the rest of the body (NINDS, 2011). A person wouldn’t be able to tell right away or at all if an item they are touching is hot, cold, or causing pain. There also wouldn’t be good signal transmission from the brain to the rest of the body (NINDS, 2011). There would be signs of the muscles being unable to respond to the weakened or distraught signals they were receiving. Since the myelin sheath is responsible for transmitting the signals from a long distance, the upper and lower extremities would be the first to show signs of muscle dysfunction.

    Read More

  • tuesday with morrie

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL), Lou Gehrig’s disease, a brutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system with no known cure.

    Read More

  • Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study Essay

    485 Words  | 1 Pages

    With motor neurone disease it attacks the nerves, in the brain and spinal cord. This means messages gradually stop reaching muscles, which leads to weakness and wasting. In the case study the

    Read More

  • Brain Trauma In Sports

    1528 Words  | 4 Pages

    This is a neurodegenerative disease, meaning it results in progressive loss or death of neurons. It often starts off with effecting simple motor skills like writing and holding things, after a few months usually patients start losing the ability to walk, talk, or move any of their limbs. Although the brain trauma is what causes it, ALS has little-no-effect on the brain. This fatal disease is typically diagnosed around age 60 and most patients are given about 3-5 years to live after being diagnosed. It has been found that 10% of cases are shown as genetic. It was brought to attention that athletes were beginning to get diagnosed with ALS at a younger age than most. After extensive research in the early 2000’s, Brain Analyst, Dr. Mckee ran tests and finally came to the conclusion that the toxic proteins in the brains of ALS patients were coming from repeated blows to the head. It was then made evident why so many athletes in contact sports such as football, soccer, boxing, etc… were being diagnosed at such a young age and more frequently than

    Read More

More about The struggle of Living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Open Document