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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; pronounced ay-MY-eh-TRO-fik LA-ter-el skler-OH-sis), or better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease in which nerve cells are damaged or killed. In the case of ALS, the nerve cells that are damaged are motor neurons, the nerve cells that control movement.
The death of motor neurons affects voluntary muscles including muscles in the legs, arms, and trunk. These muscles normally move when a person wants them to. As ALS develops, a person loses that control.
ALS normally doesn't affect the heart or digestive system. It also has no effect on the brain, allowing ALS patients to continue to think normally.
Approximately 30,000 people in the United States are affected by ALS and about 5,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Most cases occur in people between the age of 40-70, but unfortunately more and more cases are being found in younger age groups.
CAUSES:
No one knows what causes ALS. Additional research is now being conducted to find out more about the cause or causes of ALS.
SYMPTOMS:
The earliest sign of ALS is usually weakness in the arms or legs and tends to be more apparent on one side of the body than the other. Leg weakness may first become apparent by an increased frequency of stumbling on uneven pavement or difficulty in climbing stairs. Arm weakness may lead to difficulty in grasping or holding a cup, for instance, or loss of coordination in fingers.
Over time, ALS spreads to all voluntary muscle groups in the body. Later symptoms include loss of the ability to walk, to use the arms and hands, to speak clearly or at all, to swallow, and to hold up one's head. Weakness in the muscles of the respiratory (breathing) system can make breathing, coughing, and swallowing difficult.
TREATMENT:
There is no cure for ALS. There are also no treatments that can significantly alter the course of the disease. In 1998 a new drug, riluzole (trade name Rilutek) was approved for use with ALS patients. The drug somewhat reduces the loss of muscle strength. It can extend the life of an ALS patient for an average of three months. No other drug or vitamin has been found to have any effect on the progress of ALS.
Most ALS patients eventually require full-time nursing care. This care is not difficult to learn and can often be provided by family members. The physical and emotional burden for caregivers, however, can be enormous. They must learn to be aware of and to find ways of dealing with their own needs as well as those of the patient.
