Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis

Lou Gehrig

          Amyotropic lateral sclerosis is often called Lou Gehrig's disease, Maladie de Charcot or motor neurone disease is a progressive fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons.

       Etymologically, amyotropic derived from the Greek word derived from "A" means no or negative and "myo" means muscle, and "trophic" means food. When combined means no food for the muscles. While lateral spinal cord which control means and innervation obtained, and the sense of meaning sclerosis or hardening of the connective tissue.

     Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease characterized by chronic progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord, motor nuclei in the brain stem, and the neurons in the motor areas of the frontal lobe (lateral corticospinal) that causes muscle weakness, disability, and eventually death
      ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous baseball player named Lou Gehrig died from the disease in 1941. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Charcot's Disease and is one of the most important classification (80%) of the Motor Neuron Disease (MND) is characterized by the gradual degeneration and death of motor neurons. Genetics play a role in this disease, occurs approximately in 5-10% of cases. But in most cases, is not yet known why ALS occurs only on a few people.

        In 1864 the first symptoms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) published by a French expert Dr. pathological. Jean-Martin Charcot who also invented the field of neurology.

 

Jean-martin Charcot

       ALS usually begins with muscle weakness in the hands or feet, or speech becomes slurred speech. Eventually, ALS affects a person's ability to control the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. ALS is a neurological disorder that affects motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. It is characterized by accumulation of neurofilament and pain nerve fibers resulting in loss of voluntary muscle control someone. Early symptoms of ALS varies with each individual, but may include decreased body resistance significantly, stiffness and clumsiness, muscle weakness, slurred speech, and difficulty swallowing. Other manifestations include tripping, decreased grip, abnormal fatigue of the arms and / or legs, muscle cramps and twitching. Progesifitas shape up, patients gradually lose the use of their hands, arms, legs, and neck muscles, ultimately becoming paralyzed. Patients will be difficult to speak or swallow. However, the ability to think, bladder, bowel, and sexual function, and senses ( sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch ) are not affected .

        The duration of the disease is based on the initial diagnosis to death is estimated at about 3-5 years, with an estimated 10% of patients survive an average of 10 years. In the older-onset and bulbar accompanied or followed by severe respiratory disorders have a poor prognosis.

Source

pict:

1, http://minaday.com/movies/tag/lou-gehrig

2. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhchar.html