Types of Motor Diseases

Motor neuron diseases are progressive neurological disorders that can be inherited or acquired during a person's life. All age groups are susceptible to motor neuron diseases, but those most often affected are older than 40. Motor neuron diseases have no cures or single cause. Research is looking at growth factors, stem cells and drugs that can be used to treat motor neuron diseases and their symptoms.

Definition

• According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, motor diseases destroy cells that control muscle movement and affect actions such as walking, speaking, breathing and swallowing. The Motor Neuron Disease Association states that motor neuron diseases cause loss of speech, difficulty swallowing and breathing, and loss of mobility in a person's limbs.

Types

• The most common types of motor disease are amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig disease), progressive bulbar palsy, progressive muscular atrophy and primary lateral sclerosis, according to the Motor Neuron Disease Association.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of motor neuron diseases include pain, discomfort, muscle cramps, muscle spasms, muscle twitching, stiff joints, constipation, difficulty swallowing saliva, coughing, breathing problems and depression, according to health website Bupa.

Treatment

• While motor neuron diseases have no cure, Rilutek is one drug that is often used to extend an affected person's life by two to three months. Wearing a mask ventilator may also help prolong life for a patient with a motor neuron disease. Patients may also benefit from physical therapy or speech therapy or devices such as wheelchairs, braces or supports to help when moving.

Diagnosis

• According to Bupa, no single medical test can detect motor neuron diseases. Diagnosis is usually based on the symptoms a patient displays as well as on what a neurologist finds during an examination. Some tests doctors use in combination to search for signs of motor neuron diseases include electromyograms (to look for abnormal muscle electrical activity), nerve conduction tests, transcranial magnetic stimulation and magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRI).

Prognosis

• The prognosis of motor neuron diseases depends on the age at which a person is diagnosed and what type of motor neuron disease she has, according to the National Institutes of Health. For example, primary lateral sclerosis is one type of motor neuron disease that develops slowly and is not fatal. Other types of motor neuron diseases, such as spinal muscular atrophy, lead to death.