Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS Jackie Missey Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

What is ALS? ALS also know as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. This disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Motor Neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and then to the muscles throughout your whole body. This then leads to death.

Causes of ALS ALS is inherited in 5% to 10% of cases. Gene mutation. A chemical balance (Having higher levels of glutamate. A persons immune system can attack their own body cells which can kill nerve cells.

Symptoms of ALS The first symptoms of ALS is things like cramps, weakness, difficulty chewing and swallowing, and tight muscles. As the disease gets stronger the symptoms start to spread out through your whole body. To be diagnosed with ALS, you have to have signs with the upper and lower motor neuron damage that cannot be seen in other causes. Eventually the disease will become so bad that people cant stand or walk. Over time people will start having problems with breathing and soon they can’t breath at all on their own.

Prevention of ALS There is no prevention that we know for ALS because we don’t know the cause of the disease.

Treatments and Cures There is no cure for ALS but there are treatments. A medicine called Rilutek helps slow down the disease. It decreases glutamate levels.

Lou Gehrig Lou Gehrig was a famous New York Yankees baseball player. He was forced to retire in 1939 after developing the disease. The disease was named after him.

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a challenge used to raise awareness for people with ALS. To participate you record yourself dumping a bucket of ice water over your head. The reason for dumping ice cold water over your head is to know what having ALS feels like for a split second.

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