Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is a disease of the brain's and spinal cord's nerve cells that are responsible for movement. The disease can be described as the nerve cells deteriorating and becoming unable to send messages to the muscles.
ALS afflicts around 1 in every 100,000 people (see Resources). It usually develops during midlife between the ages of 40 and 60. Around 10 percent of those who get ALS do so as a result of a genetic defect. In other cases, the cause is unknown.
Symptoms
Notice any change in your movement abilities. Telltale signs of ALS are twitching or difficulty moving your legs, arms or body (see Resources).
Seek medical attention if you have difficulty breathing, muscle cramps, muscle weakness or speech problems or if you have a hard time holding up your head because of weakness of the neck and spinal muscles. These conditions are all symptoms of ALS. Other symptoms include drooling, weight loss and muscle spasms.
Contact a neurologist about your symptoms. A neurologist can perform a series of tests, including a blood and urine test, and do a spinal tap to determine whether you have ALS (see References).
Treatment
Explore your treatment options. Treatment can include the drug Rilutek. Rilutek slows down the disease in some people because it reduces the levels of the chemical messenger glutamate in the brain (see References).
Your doctor may prescribe drugs to ward off some of the symptoms such as muscle cramps and excessive fatigue.
Treatment can also include physical, speech and occupational therapies (see References).
Discuss with a physical therapist options for low-impact exercises to keep your muscles strong.
Seek help from an occupational therapist. An occupational therapist can assist you in adapting to mobility devices such as walkers, braces and wheelchairs.
Seek assistance from a speech therapist to help you with your speech. Discuss with the speech therapist options regarding the use of speech synthesizers and computers that can help with your speech. Ask the speech therapist what type of speech therapy he or she would recommend for you.
Prevention
Explore genetic counseling if your ALS is a result of heredity (see Resources). A genetic counselor can interpret information, analyze inheritance patterns and go over options with your family. He or she can also recommend support services (see References).
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