Symptoms: Difficulty breathing/swallowing
Gagging or choking easily
Slow or abnormal speech
Voice changes/hoarseness
Cramping in muscles
Muscle weakness that slowly gets worse, usually starting in one part of the body, like the arm or hand and slowly making it hard to lift things, climb stairs or even walk
Body Systems Affected:
Neuromuscular
Other Information:
ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
A relatively rare disease, there are - at any given time in the United States - 40,000 people living with ALS. There are 5,000 new diagnosis a year.
There is no known cure for ALS. While there are treatments that may extend a person's life with the disease, right now there is no way to reverse the disease or even just stop it from getting worse.
In 90% of all cases of ALS, the cause is unknown. The other 10% of the time, it is caused by a genetic defect.
ALS progresses differently in different patients.
Besides being related to someone who has ALS hereditarily, there are no known risk factors for ALS, which puts anyone and everyone at risk.
ALS will, gradually, eliminate a person's ability to care for themselves. 20% of patients live five years after their initial diagnosis, leaving the other 80% to die within three to five years of being diagnosed.
Sources:
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