The Lateral Sclerosis ( Als ) Is A Neurodegenerative Disease That Causes Loss Of Motor Neurons And Progressive Weakness

In some people with ALS, the parts of the brain that allow us to think, remember, and learn also are affected by the disease (Labby).

Following the diagnosis of ALS the main goal of treatment is focused at relieving the symptoms. The most important matter in managing ALS patients is that they continually sustain the highest amount of movement and activity as possible and remain comfortable while doing so. Although a cure for ALS has not yet been developed, effective treatments do exist to assist the patients in their fight with the disease. Physicians urge the patients to carry on with their everyday lives doing all the activities and physically exerting themselves as they would normally do. But, they also recommend the patients to limit their amount of physical exertion

People first need to know what ALS is. ALS is very difficult to diagnose. So far there is no

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

There are 20,000 new cases of ALS diagnosed each year in the United States. This yields an incidence of 3 per 100,000 (Brown, 2006). There is no known cause for ALS in 95% of patients; however, 5% have an identifiable genetic mutation (Elman, 2016). The disease can present in individuals less than 30 years of age, but peaks between 40 and 60 years of age. Before the age of 65, more diagnoses are made in men; after the age of 65, gender incidence is equal. There is no clear-cut ethnic or racial predisposition in ALS (Ricks, 2016). The lifespan is approximately 3-4 years after diagnosis. However, in 10 % of

Imagine you are a 78-year-old man, a beloved professor from Brandeis University. Every day you take notice of the increased difficulty of breathing, more so than the usual, or the out-of-breath feeling from climbing a flight of stairs. About two or three weeks later, you start to feel the muscles in your body cramping up, even while partaking in slight activity, And then you know it’s serious after you gave up dancing. After multiple testing, your results come back and you have ALS, also known as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

It's a brave question because the answers are not very pleasant." When an individual is diagnosed with ALS, they begin a totally new way of life. Surprising, in many cases it can often be difficult to diagnose someone with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. However, with a history of their problems and a few other tools, it is possible. One of the most common ways to diagnose someone with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is by looking at their complications. Some of the most common early signs of ALS are a patient's legs may seem to be heavier than normal or

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes devastating debilitation and raises many ethical questions. Many of these questions revolve around quality of life and end of life issues. ALS, specifically, complicates theses issues because of the natural progression of the disease. Patients gradually loose their ability to move, breath and communicate, while retaining, for the most part, their cognitive function. There is currently no cure for the disease and very little in the forms of treatment options, with the average life span after an ALS diagnosis only about three to five years with a small portion of the population living beyond 10 years. As a result, caring an ASL patient can put a lot of stress on their caregivers. Consequently, there is also the risk to the patients, who wishes can be ignored due to their inability to advocate for themselves.

A recent clinical trial recruited participants early in their ALS progression, with milder symptoms and a larger vital capacity. According to Mitsubishi

As many as 30 thousand Americans are currently living with or have been diagnosed with ALS in the United States. ALS is a life threatening disease that scientists have yet to discover treatments for, but as of right now, ALS can not be treated. ALS can be hard to understand, many wonder how does one get ALS? What are the symptoms ? How is ALS diagnosed? Treatment options, and what is the prognosis of the disease?

ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle weakness, fatigue, and overall respiratory failure. It can also cause trouble breathing and swallowing.

There are quite a few symptoms for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS. one of the first signs a patient will have is muscle twitches. Then the patient will have slurred speech and will start to trip or fall randomly. They will also have muscle cramps and foot drop, which means having trouble lifting the foot. Then they will drop things frequently, and have difficulty swallowing. Lastly they will have fatigue in arms or legs (ALS Assn)

“The diagnosis of ALS is based primarily on clinical presentation, with supportive data from electrodiagnostic, imaging, and laboratory studies.” Based off of clinical presentation, ALS can be

Diagnosis. As discussed, due to its many presentations, generalizable signs and symptoms, and gradual onset of the disease, a definitive diagnosis of ALS is often established long after other conditions are ruled out. As a matter of fact, the median time of symptom onset to diagnosis is about 14 months (Kiernan et al., 2011, p. 947). Unfortunately, any delays in diagnosis may also delay treatments that could prolong survival or improve quality of

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.