What is Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or "Lou Gehrig's disease", is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons reach the brain from the spinal cord and the spinal cord to the muscles in the body. Progressive degeneration of motor neurons in ALS eventually lead to death. When motor neurons die, the brain's ability to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the final stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

A trophic fibers derived from the Greek. "A" means zero or negative. "Myo" refers to muscle, and "Trophic" means food, when the muscles do not have food 'No muscle foods. ", It" atrophies "or wastes away. "Lateral" identifies the area of ​​a person's spinal cord where part of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening ("sclerosis") in the region.

As the degeneration of motor neurons, 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 messages from the motor neurons that they need to function, muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Members began to look "thinner" as muscle tissue atrophies.

Nerves in ALS
What kind of nerves in your body to work properly?

(From Living with ALS, Book 1: What is it exactly)

The body has many kinds of nerves. There are those who are involved in the process of thinking, memory and feelings of detection (such as heat / cold, sharp / dull), and others for vision, hearing, and other bodily functions. The nerves are affected when you have ALS motor neurons that provide voluntary movements and muscle strength. Examples of voluntary movements you make an attempt to reach the phone or on the sidewalk, and the action is controlled by the muscles of the arms and legs.

The heart and digestive system are also made of muscle but a different kind, and their movements are not under voluntary control. When your heart is pounding or a meal is digested, it happens all automatically. Therefore, the heart and digestive system are not involved in ALS. Breathing also may seem accidental. Remember, though, when you can not stop your heart, you can hold your breath - so be aware that ALS may eventually have an impact on breathing.

Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, recent years have brought a wealth of new scientific knowledge about the physiology of this disease.

Although there is no cure or treatment today that stops or reverses ALS, there are FDA-approved drug, riluzole, which slows the progression of ALS and some few other drugs in clinical trials promising.

Above all, there are important 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 disease that is very variable, there are two people have the same journey or experiences. There are medically documented cases of people who 'burn ALS continues to grow and grow at a very slow pace. No matter what people or situations as possible, the ALS Association and your medical team are there to help.