Lou Gehrig’s Disease

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jacob Alvarado

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

A-myo-trophic

Stephan Hawking

Symtoms

• Difficulty walking, tripping or difficulty doing your normal daily activities.

• Weakness in your leg, feet or ankles.

• Hand weakness or clumsiness.

• Slurring of speech or trouble swallowing.

• Muscle cramps and twitching in your arms, shoulders and tongue.​

Causes

The disease effects about 350,000 people a year worldwide, and about half of patients die within three years of diagnosis.

 

Only about 1 in 10 ALS patients have the inherited form of the disease

 

 

 

For the majority of ALS cases, we do not know what causes the disease.

Prognosis

Effects motor neurons that control  voluntary movements and muscle power.

 

The motor neurons degenerate so they can no longer send impulses to the muscles. 

 

 

 

Prevention and Treatment 

Not much is known regarding the prevention of ALS.

 

Studies show that colorful fruits and vegetables seem to decrease the risk of getting ALS. 

 

Their is no cure however, the drug Riluzole is shown to slow the diseases progression.

Works cited

• "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis." (ALS) Treatments and Drugs. 9 Apr. 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2015. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/basics/treatment/con-20024397>.
• "What Is ALS?" - The ALS Association. Web. 14 Mar. 2015. <http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html>.
• "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Fact Sheet." : National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Web. 14 Mar. 2015. <http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/amyotrophiclateralsclerosis/detail_ALS.htm>.