Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), frequently known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative ailment for which a cure remains elusive.

What is ALS?

• Alias: Often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
• Definition: A neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting:
  • Motor Neurons: Cells located in the brain and spine that control voluntary functions.
• Functions Controlled: Walking, chewing, talking, and moving arms.
• Nature: It’s a progressive disease, meaning symptoms get worse over time.

Symptoms

• Initial Symptoms:
  • Muscle twitching.
  • Weakness in specific areas, notably in an arm or leg.
  • Trouble with swallowing and slurred speech.
• Advanced Symptoms:
  • With disease progression, patients lose control over muscles needed for movement, speech, eating, and breathing.

Cause and Progression

• Cause: The exact cause of ALS remains unknown.
• Disease Progression:
  • ALS results in the progressive death of nerve cells.
  • Over time, muscles lose their ability to function and move, leading to muscle atrophy (wasting away).
  • The disease also impacts the motor neurons affecting respiratory muscles, thereby affecting the person’s ability to breathe.

Treatment and Prognosis

• Cure: Regrettably, there is no known effective cure for ALS yet.
• Treatment Options:
  • The best therapies available presently include drugs and other interventions.
  • Goal: To extend the lifespan of a Person with ALS (PALS). copyright©iasexpress.net
  • Disease Progression: It varies for each individual. On average, survival time after diagnosis is around three years, with a broader range of 20 to 48 months.

Diagnosis

• Diagnosis Timeframe: Typically, from the onset of symptoms, it takes about 8 to 15 months to confirm a diagnosis of ALS.
• Delay Reason: A significant factor for this delay is the absence of definitive biomarkers for the disease.