Overview Of Lou Gehrig’s Disease: Definition, Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment

Lou Gehrig’s disease is a very serious and fatal disease that effects all the muscles in the body, which effects the lungs, swallowing, and heart, in some cases it effects the brain. The Definition, causes, symptoms, and treatment, will be discussed in this paper.

ALS affects the nerves and muscles in the body, eventually making the patient paralyzed and eventually causes respiratory failure. ALS affects people usually around the ages 40-70 and effects 30,000 people at any given day. ALS effects movement of nerve cells in the body. It destroys signals between nerve cells and the brain, which causes the nerve cells to die, resulting in incapability to move one’s muscles. Early on during ALS it affects the patient’s ability to do simple task. It normally starts in the arms or legs which is called “limb onset”. Other times it starts in speech or swallowing which is called “Bulbar onset”. As Atrophy of the cells begins to spread more it affects the muscles of movement causing inabilities to use arm or legs or being able to eat or speak. Later, the digestive system is affected where patient is incapable to swallow food without choking. Patients become easily malnourished. Eventually it affects the lungs, causing the patient to lose the ability to breathe on their own. Some cases it affects the brain, causing dementia. The lack of movement in the muscles causes the body to be ultimately incapable of being able to move at all from the outside to inside. “Sensory receptors” become incapable to maintain homeostasis, because the nerves can no longer sense outside stimuli. Or stimuli to tell the brain that the body needs to move. The spinal cord also hardens, which makes the patient completely incapable to stand.

Zucker (2012) said “Earliest symptoms of disease depend on which nerves and muscles are first affected”. Wherever it hits first is what type of first symptoms that will be seen. The mind remains unaffected throughout the entire process, except in rare cases. Early symptoms include, “Trouble walking or running, trouble writing, and speech problems”. Then symptoms are ‘not being able to stand at all or use limbs, not being able to speak, and inability to breathe properly.” Inability to eat on their own causes malnourishment and rapid loss of body weight. Patients might develop depression and anxiety as they lose their abilities. Some cases patients develop dementia. In the final stage’s inability to breathe on their own develops, and Pneumonia becomes an increased risk. Some develop “Painful Neuropathy”. In most cases ALS patients die from Respiratory failure. There’s no for sure definitive test for ALS. However, patients are observed closely by a physician- who looks for symptoms and using some test to rule out other possible diseases.

Symptoms of Upper-Lower neuron symptom strongly shows possibility of ALS. Physician writes out a full medical history of the patient to see if symptoms worsen over time and any further muscle weakness. “Electrography”- “a special recording technique that detects electrical activity of muscle fibers, can help diagnose ALS”. They also use ‘Nerve Conduction Studies”- to see the ability of the nerves to send signals to the muscles, measuring out electrical activity. These two tests can misdiagnose ALS as Peripheral Neuropathy or Myopathy. “MRI’ uses magnetic field to produce images of brain and spinal cord. Laboratory test are also used through blood and urine samples to rule out other diseases.

Causes are not absolutely known but there’s possible causes. One of the possible causes is Genetics. Most cases of ALS are “Sporadic’ occurs at random. In other cases, however, one parent can be carrying the mutant Gene. Zucker (2012) “25 to 40 percent of all familial cases (and small percentage of sporadic cases) are caused by a defect in a gene known as “Chromosome 9 open reading frame 72”. This same gene is found in Frontal-lobe dementia. In 12 to 20 percent of cases something happened to production of the enzyme “Copper-zinc superoxide dismutase 1”. There a dozen of other Genetic mutations that have been identified. Possible changes in RNA might take place leading to “Neuron degeneration”. A defect in “Protein recycling” is another possibility which is when proteins don’t break down to make new ones. Another possibility is motor neurons not being shaped correctly.

Many Environmental toxins are a possibility. Military veterans are more likely to develop ALS, Zucker (2012) “Possibly from exposure to lead, pesticides, and other military environmental toxins.” Koroshetz (2013) “Infectious agents, viruses, physical trauma, diet, and Behavioral and occupational factors” are all other possibilities that could possibly be a cause of ALS.

There is no cure for ALS. There are multiple treatments to control symptoms, prevent unnecessary complications, and make living with the disease easier. There’s a whole team of individuals who help make equipment available and patients more comfortable. Medication is one treatment used to prolong life of individual and slow down the spread of the disease. “Riuzole”- decreases “glutamate” which reduces damage to neurons prolonging life by a few months- works the Bulbar side of ALS. “Edravone” slows the loss of daily functioning. There’re other medications provided to relieve problems from the symptoms of ALS.

Physical therapy is a second treatment that prolongs independence and safety of a patient. Exercise unaffected muscles and improves cardiovascular health. It also helps fight fatigue and depression. Stretching helps prevent “painful spasticity and shortening of muscles”. Various equipment is given to help, including wheelchairs to keep patients independent.

“Speech Therapy” is a third treatment. The therapist can help patient to find a technique to speak louder and more clearly as they lose muscle control. Later during ALS development, they can use equipment to help with their ability to communicate such as “Computer-based speech synthesizer’- Uses eye movement to answer “Yes-no questions”. Patients can use “voice banking” to store their voice for later use. Fourth treatment uses Nutritional experts to teach caregivers how to prepare small meals through the day that contain enough fiber and soft enough to keep patient from choking. In later stages of ALS, a feeding tube may be suggested.

Final treatment is Breathing support. “ventilation mask’ is used to improve quality and prolong life. The patient is taught how to do “mechanical coughs” to get the mucus out from the lungs. Later trichotomy may be used linked to a respirator.

This paper explained what ALS is and how it effects the body. The early symptoms to the late symptoms of ALS, how physicians use test to diagnose ALS, and the Possible genetic and environmental causes of ALS. Finally, The Treatment physicians use to prolong life and quality of life of ALS patients.