Paralysis Resource Guide - (Page 3) CONDITIONS ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the New York Yankee baseball player who was stricken by it, is a progressive neurological disease affecting as many as 30,000 Americans with about 5,600 new cases occurring in the United States alone each year. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis belongs to a group of disorders known as motor neuron diseases. Motor neurons are nerve cells located in the brain, brainstem and spinal cord that serve as control units and communication links between the nervous system and the voluntary muscles of the body. The loss of these cells causes the muscles under their control to weaken and waste away, leading to paralysis. ALS is often fatal within five years of diagnosis, mainly due to respiratory failure. People who opt for permanent use of a feeding tube and a ventilator after failure of swallowing and respiratory muscles can generally be kept alive for many more years. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis manifests itself in different ways, depending on which muscles weaken first. Symptoms may include frequent tripping and falling, loss of control in hands and arms, difficulty speaking, swallowing and/or breathing, persistent fatigue, and twitching and cramping. Typically, ALS strikes in midlife. For reasons unknown, men are about one-and-a-half times more likely to have the disease as women. Because ALS affects motor neurons, the disease does not usually impair a person’s mind, personality, or intelligence. It does not affect the ability to see, smell, taste, hear or recognize touch. People with ALS usually maintain control of eye muscles and bladder and bowel function, although these functions can be affected. There is no known cure for ALS, nor is there a therapy to prevent or reverse its course. Riluzole is the only FDA approved drug shown to prolong the survival of people with ALS – but only for a few extra months. Riluzole is believed to reduce damage to motor neurons by minimizing damage due to the release of glutamate. The drug may also extend the time before a person needs ventilation support. Riluzole does not reverse the 3 3
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