Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
What is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a-my-o-TROE-fik LAT-ur-ul skluh-ROE-sis), known as ALS, is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. ALS causes loss of muscle control. The disease gets worse over time.
ALS is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the baseball player who was diagnosed with it. The exact cause of the disease is still not known. A small number of cases are inherited. ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg, trouble swallowing or slurred speech. Eventually ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. There is no cure for this fatal disease.
Symptoms
- Trouble walking or doing usual daily activities
- Tripping and falling
- Weakness in the legs, feet or ankles
- Hand weakness or clumsiness
- Slurred speech or trouble swallowing
- Fatigue
- Weakness associated with muscle cramps
- Untimely crying, laughing or yawning
- Thinking or behavioral changes
- Twitching in your hands, feet, shoulder and/or tongue
- Stiff muscles
- Drooling
Cause
ALS affects the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements such as walking and talking. These nerve cells are called motor neurons. There are two groups of motor neurons. The first group extends from the brain to the spinal cord to muscles throughout the body. They’re referred to as upper motor neurons. The second group extends from the spinal cord to muscles throughout the body. They’re referred to as lower motor neurons. ALS causes both groups of motor neurons to gradually deteriorate and then die. When motor neurons are damaged, they stop sending messages to the muscles. As a result, the muscles can’t function. For about 10% of people with ALS, a genetic cause can be identified. For the rest, the cause is not known. Researchers continue to study possible causes of ALS. Most theories center on a complex interaction between genes and factors in the environment.
Risk Factors
Established risk factors for ALS include Genetics. For about 10% of people with ALS, a risk gene was passed down from a family member. This is called hereditary ALS. In most people with hereditary ALS, their children have a 50% chance of inheriting the gene. Age. Risk increases with age up to age 75. ALS is most common between the ages of 60 and the mid-80s. Sex. Before the age of 65, slightly more men than women develop ALS. This sex difference disappears after age 70. Environmental factors, such as the following, have been associated with an increased risk of ALS.
When to see a Doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor promptly if you have signs or symptoms that concern you.