ALS is a progressive neurological disease. Symptoms begin to manifest slowly, and progress to complete inability to move. Symptoms that occur early in the disease may include difficulty with fine motor functions. As the disease progresses some signs include:    Difficulty grasping an ink pen or holding the handle of a cup.    Difficulty walking.    Difficulty performing normal activities of daily life.    Increased number of falls.    Weakness in the legs, feet, ankles and/or hands.    Slurred speech.    Difficulty swallowing.    Muscle spasms in the upper extremities or lower extremities.    Inability or difficulty in holding one’s posture appropriately.    It may become increasingly difficult for the patient to hold his/her head up and keep good posture, as a result of weakening muscles. As the condition gradually moves into the later stages of the disease, patients will experience severe weaknesses of muscles and paralysis. The patient’s lungs will become affected and the result will be an inability to breathe without ventilatory support.  Ventilator support is required in many patients with late stage ALS. ALS only affects motor neurons, the afferent (sensory) neurons are spared.  Therefore, the patient will not lose sensation, touch, hearing, taste and smell.  For some patients, the muscles of the eyes may be spared.

There are both physiological and environmental factors that can increase a patient’s risk of developing ALS.  Risk factors include heredity, age, sex and genetics.  Other environmental risk factors for developing ALS include smoking, toxin exposure and those who have served in the military. Genetics also plays an important part in the risk of developing ALS.  As discussed above, there are particular genes that, when mutated, can progress into ALS. Approximately 5 to 10% of patients acquire ALS through a parent-child transmission. This specific type of ALS is known as Familial ALS. Age is also a risk factor associated with the development of ALS.  Patients between the ages of 40 and 60 are at the highest risk of developing this disease. ALS is more prevalent in men than women among patients younger than 65.  However, in patients older than 70, the trend of men being more likely to be diagnosed with this disease diminishes; and men and women are equally at risk. Further research is required to develop more concrete direct links between these risk factors and ALS development. Environmental factors have also been seen to play a role in the development of ALS.  Research has indicated that postmenopausal women are more likely to have ALS when compared to men if they were active smokers.

Diagnosis of ALS is very difficult because the symptoms can mimic a multitude of neurologic diseases. In the early stages, it is basically a diagnosis of exclusion. The World Federation of Neurology has developed a method to diagnose ALS that combines clinical diagnosis with electrophysiologic findings.  After life-threatening or other neurological causes have been ruled out, there are certain guidelines to follow when diagnosing the patient. Clinically definite ALS requires that there be signs of upper motor neuron (UMN) and lower motor neuron (LMN) dysfunction in at least 3 different body segments.  If this is present then it can be said that ALS is a definite diagnosis.  If UMN and LMN dysfunction is only in 2 body segments then the diagnosis of ALS is clinically probable. When UMN and LMN dysfunction is present in at least 1 body segment or UMN dysfunction in 1 area with LMN signs observed on EMG in at least 2 limbs, along with lab-supported signs of ALS, then there is a probability of ALS. Clinically possible ALS is another diagnosis type that occurs when there is; UMN and LMN signs in 1 body segment, UMN signs in at least 2 segments alone, or LMN signs in areas above the UMN.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease has become more well-known to the general public over the past several years.  The famous ice bucket challenge has been used as a means to raise awareness and funding for further research of this devastating disease. The disease was actually discovered by Dr.Jean-Martin Charcot in 1869, it became widely known when the famous baseball player Lou Gehrig developed the disease.  Since then, the disease has been commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, but its formal medical name is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a progressive neurological disease that has devastating effects on those who are diagnosed. ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) affects the upper and lower motor neurons of the brain and spinal cord.  It is a disease that actually destroys the cells that comprise each of the nerves, and the results are devastating. The condition begins with minor changes in normal functionality, including muscle weakness or muscle twitching.  As the nerve cells continue to die the disease becomes more progressive and the symptoms become worse.  As the disease progresses, the patient will begin to lose functionality of their muscles and be unable to move.  It also affects the patient’s ability to speak, and in later stages, breathe.

Diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)  is very difficult because the symptoms can mimic a multitude of neurologic diseases. In the early stages, it is basically a diagnosis of exclusion. The World Federation of Neurology has developed a method to diagnose ALS that combines clinical diagnosis with electrophysiologic findings.  After life-threatening or other neurological causes have been ruled out, there are certain guidelines to follow when diagnosing the patient. Clinically definite ALS requires that there be signs of upper motor neuron (UMN) and lower motor neuron (LMN) dysfunction in at least 3 different body segments.  If this is present then it can be said that ALS is a definite diagnosis.  If UMN and LMN dysfunction is only in 2 body segments then the diagnosis of ALS is clinically probable. When UMN and LMN dysfunction is present in at least 1 body segment or UMN dysfunction in 1 area with LMN signs observed on EMG in at least 2 limbs, along with lab-supported signs of ALS, then there is a probability of ALS. Clinically possible ALS is another diagnosis type that occurs when there is; UMN and LMN signs in 1 body segment, UMN signs in at least 2 segments alone, or LMN signs in areas above the UMN.