Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS)
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)—also known as Lou Gehrig's disease—is a rare condition in which the death of nerve cells in parts of the brain that initiate and control muscle movement leads to the loss of these functions.
Early symptoms of ALS include progressive muscle weakness, involving the arms, legs, and muscles that control speech, swallowing, and breathing. Depending on the location of the brain cells that die, different functions are affected. Not all patients show all symptoms early in the disease so that assisted breathing devices may not be needed on first diagnosis.
Over time, the muscles atrophy, or waste away, making arms and legs thinner and weaker. In later stages of the disease, people with ALS become paralyzed from the lack of muscle control.
Coping with ALS
While there is so far no cure or treatment that stops or reverses the nerve cell damage underlying ALS, one drug therapy is available that modestly slows ALS progression in some people. In addition, researchers are working to develop other promising treatments, some of which are now being tested in clinical trials.
Because muscle pain may accompany this disease, as a result of the inability to move, pain medications and physical therapy can help people with ALS.
Anxiety and depression are also common in people with ALS, and can make it difficult to manage symptoms. Medication, counseling, and involvement in support groups for people with ALS may help ease these problems.
This content is brought by Staying Sharp, a partnership between NRTA: AARP's Educator Community and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.
