Causes Als Patients example essay topic

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gerhig's Disease is a neurological disease that affects as many as 30,000 Americans, and with 5,000 new cases occurring in the United States each year. It is a degenerative fatal disease that weakens and destroys motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain, preventing them from sending impulses to muscles. The nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord gradually deteriorate, which cause the muscles they control to weaken, leading to paralysis. People with ALS usually present difficulty with speaking and swallowing and become paralyzed.

They often require ventilation and gastrostomy, surgery to provide a new opening in the stomach. The loss of respiratory function is usually the cause of death. Approximately 60,000 people worldwide suffer from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. ALS occurs throughout the world without any racial or ethnic boundaries. Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, although the disease can occur at a younger age. Males are more likely to develop the disease then females and there is an unexplained increase of ALS in Guam and certain areas of Japan.

The incidence of ALS is five time times higher than Huntington's disease and about equal to multiple sclerosis. When a motor neuron deteriorates completely, the muscle that it controls no longer gets impulses from the brain. The initial symptom of ALS patients is muscle weakness and stiffness. The first muscles that are usually affected are in the arms and the legs.

This causes ALS patients to have trouble walking or climbing stairs, and the patients may drop things, fall, and start laughing or crying uncontrollably. People suffering from ALS also acquire speech problems. Some signs and symptoms of ALS are absence of spinal reflexes, loss of muscle tone, muscle twitching and muscle wasting. When the upper motor neurons are affected symptoms include excessive salivation, extension of the big toe, hyperactive reflexes, impaired swallowing, and muscle contractions. As the symptoms worsen the patient may experience muscle pain and cramps and have difficulty swallowing saliva which causes drooling.

Many ALS patients experience depression, anxiety and fear. The diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is usually based on a complete neurological examination and tests, because there is no one test or procedure to determine a diagnosis. ALS is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are similar to other neuromuscular disorders. A diagnostic workup includes many tests. The electro diagnostic tests and nerve conduction velocity help diagnose nerve and muscle disorders. During these tests they measure the speed at which nerves transmit electrical signals.

They also take blood and urine samples and study thyroid and parathyroid hormone levels. They do a spinal tap to look for genetic abnormalities. They do X-rays including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to rule out other spinal cord diseases. They do a myelogram of cervical spine, and a muscle and nerve biopsy. They also do a thorough neurological examination that usually shows evidence of muscle weakness. A comprehensive diagnosis workup usually consists of most of these procedures, to try to rule out other disorders that affect muscle and nerve function.

Because ALS moves so gradually the disease often progresses 20 to 50 percent by the time diagnosis is confirmed. There is no cure for ALS, but there are ways for people who have ALS to help handle the symptoms. Treatment is focused on different therapy's and counseling. Physical Therapy is one treatment patients use, it helps with the range of motion and helps to prevent painful contractures or locking of joints. Speech therapy can help patients adjust to the changes the disease makes in their speech. The speech therapists help enable patients to make the best use of their remaining voice and also can help with swallowing difficulties.

Occupational therapy helps a person to function in their environment as easily and independently as possible. They help with the movement of household items and appliances to make life easier. Devices such as wheelchairs and speech synthesizers help patients maintain independence. Another is respiratory therapy, which is essential once ALS patient's breathing ability diminishes. Some therapists begin Bi-Pap therapy when vital capacity gets too low. Bi-Pap is a ventilatory assistance which makes sure the patient is receiving sufficient air volume, and rests the lung muscles to provide comfort during sleeping and improve the performance during the day.

There are only a few medications effective against ALS. In 1995 the Food and Drug Administration approved riluzole, the first drug proven to extend the lives of people with ALS. In 1996 the Food and Drug Administration approved another drug, myotrophin for use in early clinical trials. Although neither of these drugs can cure ALS they slow the process of.