Imagine you are a 70-year-old woman. Day by day, you take notice of the increased difficulty of breathing, more so than the usual out-of-breath you feel from climbing a flight of stairs. About two or three weeks later, you start to feel various muscles in your body cramping up, even while you remain only slightly active. Cautiously, you wait a few weeks to see if the ailments persist before calling the doctor. Finally, you"re running to the bathroom at least once an hour from extreme bowel movements, which you can not explain either. Enough is enough; you decide to call your physician. After various testing, your results come back you have ALS, short for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, was first described in scientific literature in 1869 by the French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. In the U.S., ALS is known as Lou Gehrig's disease due to the fact that the famous baseball player, Lou Gehrig, died from the disease in 1941. Lou Gehrig played for the New York Yankees and is claimed to be one of the best baseball players ever. He acquired ALS in 1939 at the age of 38. .
The cause of ALS is not completely understood. Researchers and physicians suspect viruses, neurotoxins, heavy metals, DNA defects, immune system abnormalities, and enzyme abnormalities. Also, physicians are looking deeply into a Deficiency of nerve growth factor as a major cause of ALS. Researchers know that an excess of a neurotransmitter called glutamate clogs the synapse of the nerve cell preventing transmission of neural impulses. The cause of this neurotransmitter problem remains a mystery, although there are several theories which may provide an explanation.
ALS is diagnosed through a process of elimination and may take several months. Early .
2.
ALS symptoms may be similar to a number of other neuromuscular diseases. Diagnostic tests .
include MRI, EMG, muscle biopsy, and blood tests.
Later that year the Yankees hosted Lou Gehrig day. ... Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth", (Lou Gehrig). Just one week earlier Lou was diagnosed with Ametropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ... ALS is better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Lou Gehrig died in 1941 at the young age of 38. ...
Lou Gehrig's Disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ("ALS") The Cause of ALS Because ALS selectively destroys the motor neurons in the nervous system, several hypotheses have been put forth as to the cause or perhaps causes of ALS. ... The History of ALS ALS was originally noticed as a disease when the famous all-time baseball player Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with it. ... Distribution of ALS ALS is a global disease but is very rare. ... (Also see prevention) Interesting Case Histories The most famous case of ALS is the famous baseball player Lou Gehrig. ... Lou Gehrig late...
One of these is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or sometimes referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease. ... Hands down the most famous case of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is one of the best baseball players of all time by the name of Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig (June 19, 1903- June 2, 1941). ... (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Halfway through his 1938 season he began to play worse and by his 36th birthday, after extensive testing, doctors came to the conclusion he had ALS. ... I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth and I might have gotten a bad break but I've...
Ian Berg September 3, 2001 Genetic Research Project Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) When both two homozygous recessive SOD1 genes mutate and are inherited by two parental organisms, or when one dominate and one recessive SOD1 genes mutate, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) occurs. ... The vast majority of ALS cases are, in fact, not inherited, but caused by some unknown reason. Approximately, 10% of all ALS cases are caused by heredity, while the other 90% through speculated viral and environmental causes. ... This is known as "Bulbar ALS". ... This drug...
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis known as Lou Gehrig's disease is a fatal, degenerative disease of the nervous system. ... There are typically two categories ALS patients may fall into. ... Limb-onset ALS is the most common way that this disease starts. ... Although, ALS has no cure and is almost always fatal, there is still hope. There are medications that may slow down the progression of ALS. ...
ALS, or more widely known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, slowly destroying the body's ability to complete simple motor functions. ... ALS received the nickname of "Lou Gehrig's disease" by being named after a famous baseball player who was diagnosed with the disease in 1939 and died in 1941. ... There are two different types of ALS: sporadic and familial. Sporadic ALS, meaning that it is received from concussions and blows to the head, makes up 90-95% of all ALS cases. ... B...
People who have ALS often develop problems swallowing. ... Description Lou Gehrig's disease occurs when specific nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement gradually degenerate. ... Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells or motor neurons that control muscles. ... ALS is classified as an autoimmune disease. ... There is no known cure for ALS. ...
Mary Thompson, 35 years old, was recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. This disease, which results in progressive paralysis, can move rapidly through the body in less than two years. There is no known cause of ALS and no known cure. It is...
