1. - The ALS Association. 16 July 2013 <http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html>.
Share Print
What is ALS?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a
progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal
cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to
the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in
ALS eventually leads to death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to
initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively
affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.
As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that
normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing
muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or
breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that
they require to function, the muscles begin to become smaller. Limbs begin to look
"thinner" as muscle tissue atrophies.
Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, the recent years have brought
new scientific understanding regarding this disease.
While there is not a cure or treatment today that stops or reverses ALS, there is one FDA
approved drug, that modestly slows the progression of ALS as well as a few other drugs
in clinial trials that hold promise.
There are devices and therapies that can manage the symptoms of ALS that help people
maintain as much independence as possible and prolong survival. It is important to
remember that ALS is a quite variable disease; no two people will have the same journey
or experiences.
http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html.

2. .
Lou Gehrig has become the poster boy for ALS. Lou Gehrig was one of the greatest baseball
players and he earned the nick name of Iron House. His Baseball career was ended by ALS. He
died in 1941, 2 yeara after his diagnosos.
Typical ALS Patient
The typical ALS patient presents with numbness, usually starts in the fingers, or toes.
ALS is a horrible disease that presents itself with many different symptoms, depression,
anxiety, and insomnia, shortness of breath, excessive saliva or drooling, muscle spasms,
stiffness, emotional instability, weight loss, malnutrition, constipation, urinary urgency or

3. frequency. Typical ALS patients are given anywhere from 6 months to ten years to live.
The quality of living typically goes down as the weeks progress. Loss of breath, and
trouble swallowing are also typical symptoms. A typical ALS patient lives roughly 3-
5years after onset.
Stephen Hawkings
Stephen Hawkings was diagnosed when he was 21 years old, he is now 66. He shows
that you can still lead a productive life. Hawkings shows that regimented physical therapy
can lead to longevity with ALS. Hawkings is a rare case of a rare disease, he
demonstrates that even though ALS is fatal many people with assistance can live a good
life.