ALS Disease

ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It is an incurable fatal neuromuscular disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness, which results in paralysis. The disease attacks the nerve cells in the brain and in the spinal cord. Motor neurons, which control the movement of voluntary muscles, deteriorate and they eventually die. When the motor neurons die, the brain can then no longer initiate and control muscle movements. Because the muscles no longer receive the messages they need in order to function, they will gradually weaken and deteriorate.

About ALS Disease

Approximately 14 cases of ALS are diagnosed each day nationwide. Most of those who develop the disease are between 40 and 70 years of age. The average expected survival time for those suffering from ALS is three to five years. Approximately 30,000 people in the United States are living with the disease. There is a known hereditary factor in familial ALS (FALS), where the condition is known to run in families, although this only accounts for around 5% of all cases. The children of those diagnosed with familial ALS have a higher risk factor for developing the disease; however, those who have close family members who have been diagnosed with sporadic ALS have no greater a risk factor than the general population, suggesting again an environmental or other non-genetic cause.

Studies also have focused on the role of glutamate in motor neuron degeneration. Glutamate is one of the chemical messengers or neurotransmitters in the brain. Scientists have found that, compared to healthy people, ALS patients have higher levels of glutamate in the serum and spinal fluid.

The cause of ALS remains unclear, and no cure exists. While there is no drug to prevent or cure the disease, recent breakthroughs have resulted in Rilutek, a drug that slows the progression of ALS.

Initial symptoms of ALS include muscle weakness in one or more of the following: weakness in the hands, arms, legs or the muscles of speech, swallowing or breathing. Twitching and cramping of muscles, especially those in the hands and feet; impairment of the arms and legs; thick speech and difficulty in projecting the voice and in more advanced stages, shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing and swallowing occur. Because ALS only attacks the motor neurons that control the body's voluntary muscles, patients' minds and senses are often not impaired.

No test can provide a definite diagnosis of ALS, although the presence of upper and lower motor neuron signs in a single limb is strongly suggestive. The diagnosis of ALS is primarily based on the symptoms and signs the physician observes in the patient and a series of tests to rule out other diseases.

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