Lou Gehrig's Disease

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Lou Gehrig's Disease

• By Brittany Harden

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What is it?

• ALS is often called Lou Gehrig's disease after
  Lou Gehrig, a hall-of-fame baseball player for
  the New York Yankees who was diagnosed with ALS
  in the 1930s.

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• ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), is an fatal
  neuromuscular disease that can not be cured. It
  is caused by progressive muscle weakness. The
  disease attacks nerve cells in the brain and
  spinal cord, Motor neurons, which control the
  movement of voluntary muscles, deteriorate and
  eventually die.

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This picture shows the areas that are affected by
the disease.
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Life With Lou Gehrig's

• About half of all people with ALS live at least 3
  years after they find out they have the disease.
• 20 live 5 or more years
• As many as 10 will live up to 10 years
• Living with this disease is physically difficult
  but it does not affect the mind. Although
  communication can be difficult because it affects
  the persons breathing and the muscles needed for
  speech and arm movement.

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Treatment

• Lou Gehrig's disease is not curable and you can
  not prevent it but treatments are available to
  help people with the disease.
• There are medicines that can control symptoms,
  such as muscle cramping and difficulty
  swallowing,
• Physical therapy can help people with ALS with
  muscle loss and breathing problems..

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Research today

• Researchers are trying to find new drugs that may
  help slow down the disease or even cure it.

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Symptoms

• Even though the disease is different for every
  person the common symptoms are..
• Muscle weakness in the arms and legs.
• Tripping and falling a lot
• Dropping things
• Difficulty speaking, cramping and twitching of
  the muscles, uncontrollable laughing or crying
• As it gets worse over time they will have a hard
  time eating, swallowing and even breathing
• It may take several months for someone to know
  that they even have the disease

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Diagnosed?

• An electromyogram or EMG, is a test that can show
  if muscles are not working because of damaged
  nerves. Other tests include X-rays, magnetic
  resonance imaging (MRI), a spinal tap, and blood
  and urine tests. Muscle or nerve biopsy.

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Contagious? Or Hereditary ?

• 5-10 of people with this disease get it
  hereditarily.
• It is not contagious

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Cites

• "Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS)." KidsHealth - the
  Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health.
  Web. 13 Apr. 2011. lthttp//kidshealth.org/kid/grow
  nup/conditions/als.htmlgt.
• "Lou Gherig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral
  Sclerosis - ALS) Topic Overview." WebMD - Better
  Information. Better Health. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.
  lthttp//www.webmd.com/brain/tc/amyotrophic-lateral
  -sclerosis-als-topic-overviewgt.