Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is an incurable fatal neuromuscular disease. ALS causes the progressive wasting away of the brain and spinal column nerve cells that control the muscles that allow movement.
What causes ALS?
The cause of ALS is unknown. About 5% to 10% of people with ALS have an inherited form of the disease. ALS is not contagious.
What are the symptoms?
Over a period of months or years, ALS causes increasing muscle weakness, inability to control movement, and problems with speaking, swallowing, and breathing. The first sign of ALS is usually slight weakness in one leg, one hand, the face, or the tongue. Other problems may include increasing clumsiness and difficulty performing tasks that require precise movements of the fingers and hands. Frequent muscle twitching may occur. The weakness slowly spreads to the arms and legs over a period of months or years. As the nerves continue to waste away and decrease in number, the muscle cells that would normally be stimulated by those nerves also start to waste away, and the muscles weaken.
How is ALS treated?
While there is no cure for ALS, treatment can help maintain strength and independence, manage symptoms, and avoid complications for as long as possible. Treatment also focuses on providing emotional support as disability increases.
Physical therapy and occupational therapy may help maintain strength and function and make the most of remaining abilities. Speech therapy can help maintain the ability to communicate as speaking problems develop.
What is the prognosis?
Common causes of death in people with ALS are pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, lung failure, or heart failure, usually within a few years after symptoms begin. However, some people live with the disease for many years.
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