Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Paper

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Pages: 5

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is neurological disorder that affects the muscle system and ultimately leads to the death of the affected individual because there is no cure. According to the ALS Association, “6,000 people are diagnosed with ALS in the U.S. each year” ( “Who Gets ALS?”). ALS is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease after a famous baseball player that was forced to retire after diagnosis and eventually died from the disease. Most indiivuals with ALS only live three to five years after their initial diagnosis (“Who Gets ALS?”). Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a brutal disease that takes a toll on all involved individuals, but understanding the disease, symptoms, and treatment will alleviate some of the burden.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is considered a degenerative neurological disorder that affects the functioning of neurons in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscles. More specifically ALS damages motor neurons (nerve cells that control muscle movement). Motor neurons are further broken down into two categories that send messages from two parts of the nervous system. Upper motor neurons transmit the messages from the brain to the
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The rate at which the disorder progresses also varies from individual to individual. ALS often starts in the hands, feet and legs. The early symptoms of ALS are difficulty doing daily activities, tripping, falling, weakness in lower limbs, clumsiness, and muscle cramps (“Symptoms and Diagnosis”). Overtime the disease progresses and the more advanced symptoms of ALS are slurred speech, trouble swallowing, difficulty holding your head up, and difficulty with walking (“Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis”). ALS does not have a cure, but doctors can slow down the affect of ALS with various treatment options, but early diagnosis is key to living a longer life with this