Facts about ALS

Sep 1, 2014

ALS or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain
and the spinal cord which causes muscle weakness, paralysis and in severe situation, respiratory failure.



A-myo-trophic is a a Greek language where 'A' means negative or no, 'myo' refers to muscle and
'trophic' which means nourishment. Simply put, 'amyotrophic' means 'no muscle noursihment'. And
when a muscle has no nourishment, it 'atrophies' or it wastes away, meaning it becomes smaller.
'Lateral' is the area in the spinal cord where part of the nerve cells that signals and controls the muscle
is located. When this area deteriorate, it leads to 'sclerosis', the scarring or hardening in the region.



ALS is also called motor neurone disease (MND), Charcot disease, and Lou Gehrig's disease. Lou Gehrig
is a baseball legend who had ALS and whom it is named after.




How does ALS affect the body?


When motor neurons degenerates, the body loses the ability to initiate and control all the voluntary movement.
The neurons can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in movement. And when the
muscle no longer receive messages from the motor neurons, it will then shrink. These dead neurons will make the
brain lose its ability to initiate and control muscle movement that could lead to total paralysis.



What are the symptoms of ALS?


Early symptoms of ALS are typically ovbious weakness and/or muscle atrophy. But it depends on which motor
neurons in the body are damaged first. 75% of the people who had the disorder experience 'limb onset'
symptoms in the legs (like awkwardness when walking or running, tripping or stumbling) and arms (difficulty in
tasks like butoning a shirt, writing or even turning a key in the lock). The remaining 25% experience 'bulbar onset'
which includes difficulty in speaking clearly, swallowing, loss of tongue mobility. But there are also those who
experienced 'respiratory onset' wherein the muscles that support breathing are affected. The senses, including
hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch, are not affected by ALS.



What are the causes of ALS?


Although the cause of ALS is not yet completely known or understood, there are scientific researches that have
found out ALS may have some genetic links. Scientists have discovered that the most common ALS-causing
mutation is SOD1 gene. A 2011 research found a genetic abnormality known as hexanucleotide in the C9orf72
gene which is present in both ALS and frontotemporal dementia patients and that these cases may be related.



Who can have ALS?


ALS is said to be the most common of the five motor neuron diseases. Since this disease has no clear factor or
cause, it can occur randomly. It is said to be most common among white males, non-Hispanics and those in the 60-
69 age bracket. But younger and older people alike can develop this disease. Most cases of ALS are inherited.



How can ALS be treated?


No cure has been found yet for ALS. But only one drug is approved for usage, the riluzole. This drug, though, does
not repair the already-damaged motor neurons. It only prolong the survival of the patient for several months and
not totally curing it.



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