According to the ALS Association (2016), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an adult onset gene disorder that affects the brain, muscles, and spine. In ALS, nerves that control muscles in the human body eventually break down causing them to become useless. Symptoms vary from person to person; however, they usually are gradual and often overlooked. The etiology, diagnosis, and treatment are not consistent. What we do know is that ALS is progressive and terminal.
Symptoms initially present with changes in gait like stumbling and tripping. Muscle weakness, cramping, involuntary movements, and wasting of the extremities are also common (Russell, 2014). Individuals impacted by this disease also experience slurred speech and problems with chewing, swallowing, and breathing as symptoms progress inward throughout the body (MayoClinic, 2014). Because ALS attacks nerves and muscles that control movement, individuals often maintain the ability to think, see, touch, taste, and hear and control bowel and bladder function. Symptoms are said to be painless and tend to progress over three to ten years (ALSA, 2016).
Once symptoms begin, testing must be started. ALS is hard to diagnose because early symptoms mimic many other diseases affecting the …show more content…
However, age, sex, and heredity have been closely studied. ALS is commonly diagnosed between 40 and 60 years old and 20% more often in males (ALSA, 2016). Heredity includes 5% to 10% of those diagnosed and is called is called “Familial” ALS or FALS. Abnormalities in two genes are associated with this diagnosis, the copper-zinc superoxide-dismutase (CuZn-SOD1) and most recently the alsin gene (Eisen, 2002). The remaining ALS population is diagnosed with Sporadic ALS and does not have a genetic origin. Combined, ALS affects around 20,000 to 30,000 people in the United States (ALSA, 2016)
Symptoms initially present with changes in gait like stumbling and tripping. Muscle weakness, cramping, involuntary movements, and wasting of the extremities are also common (Russell, 2014). Individuals impacted by this disease also experience slurred speech and problems with chewing, swallowing, and breathing as symptoms progress inward throughout the body (MayoClinic, 2014). Because ALS attacks nerves and muscles that control movement, individuals often maintain the ability to think, see, touch, taste, and hear and control bowel and bladder function. Symptoms are said to be painless and tend to progress over three to ten years (ALSA, 2016).
Once symptoms begin, testing must be started. ALS is hard to diagnose because early symptoms mimic many other diseases affecting the …show more content…
However, age, sex, and heredity have been closely studied. ALS is commonly diagnosed between 40 and 60 years old and 20% more often in males (ALSA, 2016). Heredity includes 5% to 10% of those diagnosed and is called is called “Familial” ALS or FALS. Abnormalities in two genes are associated with this diagnosis, the copper-zinc superoxide-dismutase (CuZn-SOD1) and most recently the alsin gene (Eisen, 2002). The remaining ALS population is diagnosed with Sporadic ALS and does not have a genetic origin. Combined, ALS affects around 20,000 to 30,000 people in the United States (ALSA, 2016)