Motor Neurone Disease

About Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis And It’s Symptoms

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease is a type of motor neuron disease (MND). This means that it attacks and contributes to the death of those nerve cells that are responsible for the body’s voluntary movements. You may wonder why it’s also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. It was one of ALS’ famous victims – a New York Yankees’ baseball player. Mr. Lou Gehrig was found to have gotten the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease way back in 1939. ALS is a pretty rare condition. Recent studies and statistics show that more men have acquired and are more likely to acquire this Lou Gehrig’s disease than women. When it comes to age, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis symptoms are known to threaten individuals between the age of 40 and 70.

Researchers and experts supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, have been trying to unlock the mystery that is ALS. They are trying to understand several things about the Lou Gehrig’s disease. What triggers the body’s motor neurons to degenerate in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? If that is the case, what are the ways or solutions to prevent that degeneration or cell death? Those and other important questions are being considered as the research continues on. So far, researchers aren’t able to find a better treatment or a permanent cure for the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease.

Bodily Functions Being Affected By ALS

Mobility

Early symptoms for the Lou Gehrig’s disease include trouble walking and running and also trouble writing. Since amyotrophic lateral sclerosis initiates the death of the motor neurons, it won’t be surprising that the patient will have severe mobility problems as the sickness progresses. s/he won’t be able to move his/her legs, arms and some other parts of the body

Speech

Another early symptom is disordered articulation or some minor speech problems at the start. You can expect the speech defect to worsen throughout the progression of ALS. If you noticed that someone in your family who is perfectly normal has this symptom, you should consult the family physician right away.

Eating

The patient’s eating ability will be affected as well because s/he will have difficulty in swallowing water or food. This is where utmost care for the patient involved is much needed. With the help of the attending physician, you and the rest of the family will learn effective approaches on how to deal with the situation.

Breathing

As if not being able to move, speak or chew wasn’t enough, the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease also affects the chest muscles on its latter stages. There are initial symptoms recorded of having shortness of breath. In most cases, patients suffering from the Lou Gehrig’s disease die from respiratory failure.