Motor neurone disease (ALS)
Amyotrophic (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rare terminal disease defined by the progressive loss of both upper and lower motor neurons that normally control voluntary muscle contraction. ALS is the most common of the motor neuron diseases. ALS often presents with gradual muscle stiffness, twitches, weakness, and wasting. Motor neuron loss typically continues until the ability to eat, speak, move, and breathe without mechanical support is lost. At least 50% of people with ALS experience significant changes in thinking and behavior, with 15% of individuals going on to develop frontotemporal . An ALS is made based on a person's signs and symptoms, with additional testing conducted to rule out other potential causes. Depending on which areas of the body are affected first, ALS may be classified as limb-onset or bulbar-onset. onset occurs in approximately 1–3% of cases.
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Symptoms — what it feels like
- ·Early: Stiff muscles, muscle twitches, gradually increasing weakness
- ·Late: Difficulty in speaking, swallowing, and breathing; failure
Causes — why it happens
- ·Unknown (90% to 95%) or (5% to 10%)
How it's found
- · of exclusion based on progressive symptoms of upper and lower motor neuron for which no other explanation can be found. Supportive evidence from electromyography, testing, and neuroimaging
Treatment
- ·Walker, wheelchair, non-invasive , feeding tube, augmentative and alternative communication, management
Complications
- ·Falling, failure, , , frontotemporal
Outlook
- ·Life expectancy is highly variable, but typically 2–4 years after