preview

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Paper

Decent Essays

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a disease in which certain nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord slowly die. These nerve cells are also called motor neurons, and they control the voluntary muscles that allow you to move the parts of your body. ALS can also be referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease. (1) There are three classifications of ALS; sporadic, familial, and gumanian. Sporadic is the most common form of ALS and it makes up approximately 90 to 95 percent of all cases. Familial is the form of ALS that occurs in a family’s genetic line, a 50 percent chance each offspring will inherit the gene mutation. This form of ALS makes up about 5 to 10 percent of all cases in the U.S. the last form of ALS is Gumanian, an extremely high incidence of this ALS was observed in Guam and the Trust Territories of the Pacific in the 1950's. (3) People who develop ALS are most often between the ages of 40 and 70, with the average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis. However, cases of this disease do occur in people younger than 40, some even as young as their twenties and thirties. ALS is also more common in women than it is in men, …show more content…

These symptoms include muscle twitching, Trouble using your hands and fingers for a specific task, problems with speaking, eating and swallowing, walking, and even breathing. ALS can also cause problems with memory, thinking, and can cause changes in personality a well. Despite what movies might have portrayed, ALS does not cause numbness, tingling, or loss of feeling. However, respiratory problems and problems with swallowing are the most common serious complications of ALS. As the muscles in the throat and chest weaken, swallowing, coughing and breathing problems tend to get worse. ALS can also cause a number of other problems as well. Pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, lung failure, and heart failure are the most common causes of death, and are also side effects of having ALS.

Get Access