ALS Symptoms

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic" means loss of muscle or muscle waste. "Lateral" means affected nerves on each side of the spinal cord and "Sclerosis" means hardened blemish tissues which are developed when the cells of nerve die. This is also called as Motor Neuron Disease (MND). The person who has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis also known as "PALS."

ALS is disarraying related to neural system in which progressive collapse of the motor neuron cells in the brain or spinal cord and result of this cause death and paralysis.

Motor neuron cells which are nerve cells move from brain to spinal cord and from spinal cord to the whole muscles of the body with link to the brain.

When neuron cells die with the ALS, the capacity for brain to control and start muscle movement, also dies. Patients are fully paralyzed in next stages with the muscles get affected. After the diagnosis of ALS, half of affected alive for 3 or more than three years, 20 percent live for five or more then five and 10 percent will live on more then 10 years.

All the patients are not affected by the same way. Some lose the swallow capacity, but continuing the life.

The Classifications of ALS:

ALS can be classified as follow:

Classic sporadic-Progressive neurological disease caused by fall of lower and upper neuron cells. Classic sporadic is caused to two third of the peoples with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Familial - Progressive neurological disease affected to more than 1 member in the family. Around five to ten percent of the people in United State with ALS are affected by this type.

Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) - It is Progressive neurological disease in which motor nerve cells of upper side get worsen. If the motor neuron cells of upper side are not getting affects within the two years then disease remains as upper neutron disease.

Progressive bulbar palsy (PBP) - In this case difficulty occur such as chewing, swallowing and chewing because of deterioration of nerve cells at lower side. This type of disease mostly occurred to 25 percent of the people with ALS.

Progressive Muscular Atrophy (PMA) - This type of disease occur because of deterioration of motor nerve cells at lower side. If the motor neuron cells of upper side are not getting affects within the two years then disease remains as pure lower neutron disease.

Mariana Island form - This type of disease is rarely occurred in the people.

ALS Symptoms

The speed of increase of disease and series of ALS symptoms differ from person to person. Characteristic of this disease is depending on the effect of upper motor neuron cells and lower motor neutron cells.

The ALS symptoms and signatures of the upper motor neutron cells are such as weakness in muscles, plasticity, and the hyperreflexia, and the symptoms of lower motor neuron like weakness in muscles, fasciculation, atrophy, hypotonia, and the are flexia. In general ALS symptoms are given below:

Abnormal impulse may occur as well as loss of the gag impulse
may be stiff or clumsy gait
Loss of tissues, muscle tremors, twitching or spasms,
Limbs becomes much thin because of muscle loss in body
Muscle weakness, decrease in muscle strength and coordination
Regular beginning but progressively worsens
Normally involves 1 limb such as hand etc
Difficulty occurs during lifting something and climbing the stairs.
Pain in muscles
Change occurs in voice like roughness increases in voice
Speech destruction such as abnormal or slow speech pattern.
Difficulty occurs during swallowing
Difficulty for breathing, efforts are required to take breath
Laughing and crying periods are not controllable
frequently dropping, tripping the things

Primary sign of ALS is small weakness occur in one hand, one leg, the tongue or the face. Other problem are difficulty during performing any tasks which requires movements of hands and fingers. Muscle contracts also happen. The weakness in hand then spread in arms and legs slowly after some months and years.

ALS is an increasing disease. Speaking, walking, eating, breathing, swallowing, and other necessary functions turn to difficult with the time. These problems then cause illness, injury, and other many problems.

Problem of respiratory is very common and serious in ALS. Chest and throat muscle are become weak and problems occur like swallowing, coughing etc. which may cause pneumonia. As the disease progresses breathing trouble becomes worse and causes failure of respiratory system.

Pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, lung failure, and heart failure are extremely general causes of death of people because of ALS.

Treatment of ALS:

Treatment of ALS includes social workers, doctors, dietitians, therapists, and the hospice nurses, and which include:

Medications - For slowing the ALS, drug named riluzole is the only medicine permitted by drug and food administration. This drug decreases the progress of disease and increases life by a small number of months.
Physical and occupational therapy - In this therapy, therapist suggests low impact exercises which preserve strength of muscle and giving sense of the independence. Therapist helps to patient to become familiar with wheelchair, walker or brace and also advice the devices such as ramps which is effective for the patients.
Speech therapy - ALS affects the muscles which are useful to speak. Therapist gives the techniques for improving the speech clearly. Speech therapist suggests some devices for improving speech such as speech synthesizers and computers.
Nutritional support - Dietitian suggests the foods which are nutritious and swallow easily. If there is any difficulty swallowing then expert advise feeding tube through which food is inserted directly into the stomach.
Breathing assistance - Because of ALS, breathing muscles becomes weaken. First choose the device which helps to take a breath at night. The device in which mask or the nose is inserted and machine provides the pressure of air in the lungs. These devices may also be used during the day time.

New treatment:

New medicines are investigates for the treatment of ALS. Some of the drugs including, minocycline antibiotic, tamoxifen for the breast cancer, the antioxidant Q10 and insulin IGF-I for the nerve nourishing are used.

For more information on Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis follow below pages