Lou Gehrig's Disease Essay

ALS also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease affects up to fifteen american people a day, according to the ALSA (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association) that is more than five-thousand people in a year. It is a devastating disease blow to the nervous system, and to the families of those it infects. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease kills many within a decade of being diagnosed. Within the past decade ALS has been recognized through public challenges such as the Ice Bucket Challenge that flooded social media in the summer of 2014 through 2015. Unfortunately, most people who are diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease die within a decade of being diagnosed. Due to the type of disease it is, where the motor neurons are dieing it causes problems with simple task such as breathing, and walking. Due to the lungs not being able to function efficiently it kills rather quickly. Causes are primarily unknown as to why people get the disease, however there are possibilities that it comes from gene mutations, and chemical imbalances. As well as infections and autoimmune disease.
The signs of ALS are simple yet severe. Difficulty carrying out simple everyday activities, slurred speech, cramps, and overall …show more content…
There is physical therapy that would help rebuild muscle strength. There is supportive car4e with artificial respiration to keep the lungs working. Then there are medicines like muscle relaxants and glutamate blockers that prevent the destruction of nerve cells. There is gastronomy which is the insertion of a feeding tube once the body gets to that point. As well as a tracheotomy which opens the windpipe so that the patient would be able to breathe. There is also the possibility of seeing a neurologist which works with the nervous system diseases, a Pulmonologist which specializes in pulmonary diseases, and a respiratory therapist which help improve respiratory