Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Lou Gehrigs Disease

1
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(Lou Gehrigs
Disease)

• By
• Meg N
• Period 1

2
ALS

• An incurable disease of unknown cause in which
  progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the
  brain stem and spinal cord leads to atrophy.
• In later stages patients may become completely
  paralyzed.
• Most common form of motor neuron disease

3
Background Information and History

• ALS was first discovered in France by a neurology
  pioneer
• named Jean-Martin Charcot in 1869
• He first named ALS Maladie de Charco.
• Now ALS has many different names around the
• world, such as Lou Gehrigs Disease, ALS, MND
• (Motor Neuron Disease), Sclrose latrale
  amyotrophique
• and Maladie de Lou Gehrig.
• Even though ALS has been identified for over 135
  years
• the cause is usually unknown.
• There are two major types of ALS known familial
  and sporadic
• About 10 of all cases are familial
• Familial is thought to be caused by genetic
  factors
• About 90 of all cases are sporadic
• Sporadic has no known cause.

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Symptoms

• The earliest sign of ALS is weakness in the arms
  or legs
• There are many symptoms such as
• - twitching and cramping of muscles, especially
  those in the hands and feet
• -loss of motor control in the hands and
  arms
• -impaired use of the arms and legs
• -weakness and fatigue
• -tripping and falling
• -dropping things
• -uncontrollable periods of laughing or
  crying
• -slurred or thick speech and difficulty in
  projecting the voice

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Tests health care providers would run to diagnose
ALS

• Diagnosing ALS is difficult because there is not
  one test that identifies ALS
• There are tests that rule out other diseases that
  mimic ALS
• Tests health care providers often run are
  electrodiagnostic tests including electomyography
  and nerve conduction velocity, blood and urine
  studies, spinal tap, x-rays, muscle and/or nerve
  biopsy, and thorough neurological examination.

6
How The Disease Affects The Body

• ALS damages the motor neurons and overtime the
  motor neurons shrink up and disappear.
• Upper motor neurons send messages from the brain
  to the spinal cord, and lower motor neurons send
  messages from the spinal cord to the muscles.
• Motor neurons are an important part of the body's
  neuromuscular system. The neuromuscular system
  enables our bodies to move and is made up of the
  brain, many nerves, and muscles.
• Without the motor neurons your muscles dont
  receive the message to move.

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Cures And Treatments

• Nutritional counseling to promote good nutrition
  and offers of other dietary options when
  swallowing becomes difficult is helpful.
• Speech therapy and communication training to
  maintain as many verbal communication skills as
  possible. Communication training also indicates
  non-verbal techniques.
• Devices such as splints, corrective braces, grab
  bars, reach-extenders, etc. to help with daily
  activities such as dressing, eating, using the
  toilet and bathing are a good idea to prevent
  tripping and falling.
• Special equipment such as wheelchairs, electric
  beds or mattresses to maximize functional
  independence are very practical.

• Treatments
• At the moment there are no known cures to ALS.
• Although, medications to relieve painful muscle
  cramps, excessive salivation and other symptoms
  are available.
• Heat or whirlpool therapy to relieve muscle
  cramping is very soothing.
• Exercise, although recommended in moderation, may
  help maintain muscle strength and function for a
  longer period of time and keeps you in shape.
• Physical therapy to maintain mobility and ease
  the discomfort of muscle stiffness, cramps and
  fluid retention is a great idea.

8
Current Research for a cure or a better treatment

• Many people are searching for cures for ALS.
• Project ALS has raised over thirty million
  dollars.
• Stem cells hold great promise in treating ALS.
• Mice and rats are often used to test treatments
  and cures.

• Currently, the most reliable laboratory model for
  ALS drug discovery is a transgenic mouse that
  develops the disease. The SOD1 mouse, which
  features the genetic mutation associated with a
  small number of ALS cases, is a hot commodity.
  Researchers were forced to wait up to 18 months
  to receive these mice. The backorder problem
  severely slowed ALS research.

9
The age one would usually get ALS and how they
would get it

• The age you would normally get ALS is between 40
  and 70 years old with the average of 55
• ALS is 20 more common in men than in women.
• About 90 of ALS patients are Caucasian.
• People of all races and ethnic backgrounds are
  affected.
• 90-95 of all cases are of unknown cause.
• 5-10 of all cases are thought to be caused by
  genes or are inherited.

10
Cost Of Disease

• Drugs are very expensive
• 120 pills of Baclofen costs 54.00
• A 1 hour massage cost 100.00
• A speech therapist costs 300.00 for
• 2 hours
• A wheelchair can cost from 1,000.00
• to 3,000.00
• A physical therapist is also
• very expensive

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How A Persons Life Is Affected By ALS

• ALS makes it very difficult for people who suffer
  ALS to
• perform simple tasks such as walking, running,
  buttoning
• a shirt, writing, or turning a key in a lock.
• People may also trip and stumble more often than
  usual.
• Somebody who has ALS, in later stages, often has
  to use
• a walker or a wheelchair
• One with ALS cant function very independently so
  they
• need someone to always be with them.

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Conclusion Paragraph

• The reason I picked ALS for my report is my
  grandmother was diagnosed with ALS recently and I
  would really like to understand what is going on.
  I found that only 10 of people diagnosed with
  ALS survive more than 10 years. I found most of
  my information from the internet. One question I
  still have is how many people have have been
  diagnosed in the past 10 years? I think my
  strengths are creativity, color and getting the
  point across. I think my weakness is not having
  enough information.

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Diagram 2Mathematics-Oriented Diagram
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Interview with my Grandmother, Margaret T.

• Q. What causes the disease or physical ailment?
  How does a person get this disease?
• A. There is no identified cause. It is unknown.
• Q. How is the disease currently treated? Is
  there a cure or a better way to fight this
  disease?
• A. There is no cure. A few experimental drugs
  that only relieve pain are available.
• Q. How serious is the disease?
• A. It is always fatal. The disease always either
  works up from the legs or down from the mouth.
• Q. Is there research being done to find a cure
  or a better way to fight the disease?
• A. Yes, the Department of Defense is doing a lot
  research.
• Q. Are there any drugs or medications that a
  person can take to help them cope with the
  disease?
• A. Yes, there are. Most common drug is
  Baclofen.
• Q. How well can a person carry on a normal daily
  activities if they had the disease?
• A. Not super well, but can still move around. No
  sports but non-active things are okay.

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Bibliography

• dictionary.com.http//dictionary.reference.com/D
  ec. 4, 2006
• The ALS Society of Canada http//www.als.ca/
  Dec. 4, 2006
• ALS Association http//www.alsa.org/als/what.cfm
  ?CFID3108730CFTOKEN86335173 Dec. 3, 2006
• The Robert Packard Center for ALS research
  http//www.alscenter.org/about_als/index.cfm Dec.
  12, 2006
• ALS society of Alberta http//www.alsab.ca/whati
  sals.aspx Dec. 11, 2006
• Newton, David. Olendorf, Donna.
  Jeryan,Christine. Boyden, Karen. Sick Diseases,
  Injuries, and Infection, UXL, and imprint of the
  Gale Group. London, France. 2000
• Health Matters!. Volume 8 Diseases and Disabling
  Conditions. William M. Kane, Ph.D Book Builders
  LLC. Danbury, CT. 2002