Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

• Presented By Jillymae Medina

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What is ALS?

• Often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease
• Its a progressive neurological disease that
  affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal
  cord
• The onset is between 40 to 70 years of age
• Twice as many men as women are affected

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What happens to the body in ALS?

• For unknown reasons, motor neurons in the
  brainstem and spinal cord gradually degenerate.
• When the motor neurons die, the ability of the
  brain to initiate and control muscle movement is
  lost

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Early symptoms of ALS

• Difficulty lifting the front part of the foot
  (footdrop)
• Weakness in the leg, feet or ankles
• Hand weakness or clumsiness
• Slurring of speech or trouble swallowing
• Muscle cramps and twitching in the arms,
  shoulders and tongue
• Fatigue
• The muscles begin to atrophy

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• Limbs begin to look "thinner" as muscle tissue
  atrophies.

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What else?

• Eventually, when the muscles in the diaphragm and
  chest wall become too weak, patients require a
  ventilator to breathe
• Most people with ALS die from respiratory
  failure, usually 3 to 5 years after being
  diagnosed

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Diagnosis

• No test can provide a definitive diagnosis of ALS
• Patient's full medical history and a neurological
  examination to assess whether symptoms are
  getting progressively worse

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Diagnosis

• The diagnosis of ALS is primarily based on the
  symptoms and signs the physician observes in the
  patient and a series of tests to rule out other
  diseases
• Electromyogram
• Nerve Conduction Study
• MRI, CT Scans
• Spinal Tap
• Blood Urine Test
• Muscle biopsy

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Treatment

• No cure has yet been found for ALS
• Riluzole (Rilutek) is believed to reduce damage
  to motor neurons by decreasing the release of
  glutamate
• Rilutek prolongs survival by several months
• The drug also extends the time before a patient
  needs ventilation support
• Does not reverse the damage already done to motor
  neurons, and patients taking the drug must be
  monitored for liver damage and other possible
  side effects

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Treatment

• A physical therapist can recommend a low impact
  excersice to maintain muscle strength and ROM
• An occupational therapist may be able to suggest
  devices such braces, walker or wheelchair and
  ramps that make it easier for the pt to get
  around
• A speech therapist can help teach techniques to
  make speech more clearly understood and offer
  devices to make communication easier

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Prognosis Nursing Care

• ALS usually leads to death within 2 to 6 years
  after diagnosis
• This illness is devastating because the pt
  remains cognitively intact while wasting away
• Nursing care is aimed to support the patients
  cognitive and emotional state in means of
  communication, reading, companionship and helping
  the patient and family cope with the disease
  process

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THE END