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Explanation of the Disease ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is often shortened to ALS or called Lou Gehrig's disease in honor of the American baseball player who succumbed to it in 1941. The neurological disease is a progressive, chronic and eventually fatal.

  1. Description

    • ALS occurs when the nerves responsible for coordinating how the muscles function slowly die. Consequently, the muscles gradually become weaker and deteriorate.

    Causes

    • About 10 percent of ALS cases are hereditary and due to a gene mutation. Other suspected causes include abnormally high levels of the brain chemical glutamate and a defect in the immune system that causes it to attack healthy cells.

    Symptoms

    • ALS typically becomes noticeable in the feet, hands and limbs, before spreading throughout the body. Initial signs include cramps, weakness, slurred speech and footdrop (difficulty lifting the toes and front of the foot). It ultimately can cause total paralysis.

    Incidence

    • The National Institutes of Health estimates that 20,000 people in the United States have ALS, with 5,000 new cases diagnosed each year. It strikes men more often than women and generally between the ages of 40 and 60.

    Complications

    • ALS patients can develop such complications as dementia, difficulty breathing, dehydration and malnutrition. Most die from respiratory failure within five years of the initial symptoms.

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