A Brief Note On Lateral Sclerosis ( Als )

ALS is also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disease in which the brain, nerves, and spinal cord deteriorate. It attacks every part of the body except the brain. Causing major body malfunction along with muscle weakening. Which includes lack of strength, the ability to move arms, legs and body, eventually you lose the ability to breathe. The average time of life after being diagnosed is two - five years. It was believed to be inherited or maybe an infection. After years of research scientist have found a major

ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease is a classified as a degenerative neurological disorder that inhibits motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain to function properly. This disease eventually results in paralysis and imminent death over a period of time. ALS patients have anywhere from a few months, to a couple years to live after diagnosis since their nervous systems are slowly destroyed, rendering the body useless, and sustaining life impossible.

The article titled “The Voices of A.L.S. by Tara Parker-Pope has given me a better insight into A.L.S. In fact, it has made me more aware of it. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, affects parts of the nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. Motor neurons, among the largest of all nerve cells, reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to muscles throughout the body. When these motor neurons die, the brain can no longer start and control muscle movement. At this time there is no cure for the disease; however, over the past few decades, we have made amazing strides in our understanding of the brain, the nervous system, and genetics. Discoveries in each of these areas bring

ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a disease that attacks the muscles and impacts a person’s physical function. Overtime, the symptoms will

ALS is more commonly known as Lou Gehrigs disease. The progressive disease poisons the nervous system by a chemical that is released after a blow to the head; this chemical is known as Tou. Tou is released into the brain after a blow, poisoning the nervous system causing body muscles to shut down.

Everyday, an average of 15 people are diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS) also commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Across the world there are more than 5,600 cases of ALS every year. People all around the world are open to being diagnosed with ALS, it affects people of all ages, races, and gender. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis has affected millions of families and individuals since 1869. However, what is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, what does life look like for someone with ALS , and what research is being done for a cure?

ALS, better known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is considered as a complex genetic disorder, in which multiple hereditary and environmental factors combine to cause this disease. This is seen as an illness of parts of the nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. In ALS, the motor neurons (nerve cells that control muscle cells) are gradually lost. When these motor neurons turn out to be lost, the muscles they control become weak and ultimately nonfunctional. We see that “amyotrophic” is rooted in Greek origin meaning without nourishment to muscles and refers to the loss of signals nerve cells normally send to muscle cells. “Lateral” simply means to the side and refers to the location of the damage in the spinal cord. “Sclerosis” means hardened and refers to the toughened nature of the spinal cord in advanced ALS. This progressive neurodegenerative disease, that was first discovered 150 years ago, is associated with a life expectancy of approximately three years after symptom onset. In the United States, ALS is also known as Lou Gherig’s Disease, named after the Yankees Baseball player who passed away because of it in 1941. In the United Kingdom and other parts of the world, it’s often referred to as motor neuron disease in reference to the cells that are lost in the disorder (ALS Association, 2015).

ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and is also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. After this disease is contracted, it weakens skeletal muscles and the body is eventually paralyzed. In some cases, ALS affects the limbs first, causing difficulty to move. Due to being a progressive condition, patients will suffer from many different symptoms as time goes by. After being diagnosed, only about fifty percent of patients live for at least two more years (Facts You Should Know 2010). Moreover, about twenty percent live five years after being diagnosed and only ten percent of people can expect to live for over ten years after the diagnosis (NINDS 2013). This being said, ALS is typically very rare. Approximately two out of one hundred

There are many symptoms during the onset of ALS that are often overlooked that can include: Twitching, cramping, muscle stiffness or weakness, slurred and or nasal speech, or difficulty chewing or swallowing. Each patients symptoms vary depending on what muscles are damage first. Individuals can initially have the lower extremities affected or the upper extremities as well as noticeable speech problems. Damage to upper motor neurons can cause spastic muscles and contributes to an increase in reflexes, such as the gag reflex(7). Muscles may become weaker, however, patients are still able to perform voluntary muscle contractions with sensation still intact. Lower motor neuron damage is linked to muscles weakness, atrophy, cramps, twitching, and a decline of reflexes(BOOK). As the disease progresses throughout the patients body, they have increasing problems with muscle movement, maintaining weight, speaking, and swallowing. As muscles of the respiratory system weaken, patients also have difficulty breathing on their own and must depend on a ventilator

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a disease in which neurons lose function. It is a fatal disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, leaving a person unable to move, and eventually resulting in death.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disease that affects the Nervous system as well as the Muscular System as well, this disease is defined as a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. A-myo-trophic is a Greek term when translated it means “No muscle Nourishment”. This lack of nourishment causes a reaction within the muscles leading to their eventual break down, otherwise known as “atrophies” which is a simple term meaning that the muscle wastes away. When looking at the term “Lateral”, this is in reference to the section of spinal cord in which the nerves are being affected. While this area degenerates it will lead to eventual scarring and hardening within this region (this is

There is no clear cut neuropathological diagnosis for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Instead, clinicians must rely on both the topographic distribution of the neuronal loss and the finding of some characteristic cytological changes. The precise pattern of these changes, however, varies to some

A distinctive characteristic of ALS is that although the motor neurons die, the brain, cognitive functions and sensory neurons stay intact (Porth & Matfin, 2009). This makes the disease especially devastating because patients become trapped inside their dying body, with a fully alert mind, but are unable to move. It is not known what causes the exact death of the motor neurons in the body, but “five percent to 10% of cases are familial; the others are believed to be sporadic” (Porth & Matfin, 2009, p.

ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the motor neurons in the primary motor cortex, corticospinal tracts, brainstem, and spinal cord (Wijesekra & Leigh, 2009). As a result of the

Overall, ALS can be described as a destructive, pernicious, devastating, and ruinous disability. It causes scarring of nerve cells in the spinal cord, resulting in muscles no longer working properly and even wasting away (Abramovitz 12). Because of its ability to attack all of the neurons and muscles in the body, ALS creates many limitations. Most patients eventually reach a point where they cannot dress themselves or bathe alone. A caregiver has to help them perform simple tasks like these. Since the muscles in their neck and jaw deteriorate, ALS patients also lose their ability to chew, swallow, and speak (65).