Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Lou Gehrig's Disease

Words: 560
Pages: 3
Open Document
Amyotrophic comes from the Greek language. “A” means no or negative. “Myo” refers to muscle, and “Trophic” means nourishment. No muscle nourishment… When a muscle has no nourishment, it atrophies or waste away. Lateral identifies the specific areas in a person’s spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that nourish the muscles are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening (sclerosis).
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is referred to Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a progressive fatal neuromuscular disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons are the largest among nerve cells, reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to muscles throughout the body with connections to the brain. When these neurons die, the ability of the brain to start and controlling muscle movement dies with it. During later staged, ALS patients are paralyzed due to voluntary muscle …show more content…
Familial Suggest genetic dominant inheritance and accounts for a very small number of cases in the United States
3. Guamanian An extremely high incidence of ALS observed in Guam and the Trust Territories of the Pacific
ALS is a motor neuron disease that was first identified in 1969 by French neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot. ALS is responsible for two deaths per hundred thousand population annually. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages two to five years from the time of diagnosis.
Men and women are both affected by ALS. 90 percent of ALS cases have no hereditary pattern, however, 10 percent are familial. One-third of the patients become aware of the disease when theirs hands start to become clumsy, which causes difficulty in performing certain tasks. Some may experience weakness in the legs and trip because of mild foot drop. Difficulty in swallowing and slowing of the speech may occur. ALS MAY BE PRESENT FOR SOME TIME BEFORE ANY SYMPTOMS ARE NOTICED. An early symptom is
Show More

Related Documents: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Lou Gehrig's Disease

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - Muscular Atrophy: an Annotated Bibliography Essay examples

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - Muscular Atrophy: An Annotated Bibliography Abramovitz, Melissa. "Lou Gehrig's Disease" p17-61. Treatment for ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease has found that Vitamin E and the drug known as Riluzole can help the progression of the disease. When taking the medication Riluzole it has shown to prolong survival in patients by two to three months and it has also delayed the use for breathing support. There is a few side effects to taking Riluzole, such as headache, dizziness…

Words 1406 - Pages 6

Als Research Paper

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Paper Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis “I nominate you to the ice bucket challenge!” These are words spoken by thousands of people all over Facebook. Up until recently many people had only heard about it or maybe even been nominated, but do not know what it is. There is little known about this disease, but It is important to learn about this disease whether you are nominated or not, because you will find out some valuable information about what ALS is…

Words 1283 - Pages 6

Genetic Disorders Essay example

passed down from generation to generation and they are found in chromosomes. The name of my disorder is called Lou Gehrig’s Disease also know as (ALS) Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It is named Lou Gehrig’s disease because he was the first person to get diagnosed with it. Another name it is called by is ALS Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The first person to discover this disease was a lady name Jean-Martin Charcot in 1869. Close to 5,000 people diagnosed with it each year. Nobody knows how…

Words 312 - Pages 2

Lou Gehrig's Disease In North America

and most consecutive games played (2,130), a record that stood for 56 years and was long considered unbreakable until surpassed by Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1995.[9] Gehrig's streak ended in 1939 after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disorder now commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease in North America.[10] The disease forced him to retire at age 36 and was the cause of his death two years later. The pathos of his farewell from baseball was capped off by his iconic "Luckiest…

Words 210 - Pages 1

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Abstract Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also referred to as Lou Gerhig’s disease and Charcot disease, is a disorder that involves the death of neurons. ALS is characterized by stiff muscles, the twitching of muscles and gradually worsening weakness due to muscle deterioration. This results difficulty of speaking, swallowing…

Words 1161 - Pages 5

ALS Paper

Name Subject Teacher November 23, 2014 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS, is a disease that is heartbreaking to those that it affects as well as their families. Approximately 5,600 people within the United States are diagnosed with ALS each year meaning that 2 in every one hundred thousand deaths are ALS related. The disease is terminal however after being diagnosed one could live anywhere from 5 to 10 years and in some rare causes up to 20 years. (NINDS)…

Words 2005 - Pages 9

Essay about ALS power point

ALS By: Ryan Innes Period 6 What is ALS? O ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. O ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which affects the neurons responsible for the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement. O ALS affects voluntary muscle movement. Voluntary/Involuntary O Voluntary- Acting of one’s own free will (something that you can control)  Ex: picking up a pencil O Involuntary- Done without will or conscious…

Words 479 - Pages 2

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Paper

month’s essay on is Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. This is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. A motor neuron goes from the brain to the spinal cord then to the muscles throughout the body. This progressive degeneration eventually leads to death. This disease affects the ability for the brain to communicate and control muscle and muscle movement is lost. A patient in the later stages of the disease may become completely…

Words 544 - Pages 3

Pros And Cons Of Physician Assisted Suicide

Have you ever considered what you would do if you were diagnosed with an incurable disease? Have you thought about what your quality of life would be like months or years after your diagnosis? Many people think of physician-assisted suicide, or when a “doctor provides a mentally competent, terminally ill patient with a prescription for a lethal dose of medication, upon the patient's request, which the patient intends to use to end his or her own life” (Braddock). It is often that individuals confuse…

Words 933 - Pages 4

Brain Cancer Case Study

fight for lives at the same time. Braylynn was diagnosed with a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma tumor that mainly affects children between the ages of 5 and 10 year's old, but can develop at any age. The disease is a form of brain cancer that begins in the brain stem…

Words 537 - Pages 3