Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative diesease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. The disorder causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body as both the upper and lower motor neurons to degenerate, ceasing to send messages to muscles. Unable to function, the muscles gradually weaken, develop twitching because of denervation, and eventually atrophy because of that denervation.
The condition slowly gets worse. When the muscles in the chest area stop working, it becomes hard or impossible to breathe on one's own. Breathing or swallowing muscles may be the first muscles to go. ALS does not affect the senses, bladder, bowel function, or a person's ability to think or reason.
Although the life expectancy of an ALS patient averages about two to five years from the time of diagnosis, this disease is variable and many people live with quality for five years and more. More than half of all patients live more than three years after diagnosis. Roughly ten percent only live three to five months after diagnosis.
ALS affects approximately 1 out of every 100,000 people.
The cause of this disease is unknown, and there is no known cure for ALS.
Albert.. I'll be praying for you.
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