What is ALS? Symptoms You Should Look At

ALS is Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
a – absence
myo – muscle
trophic – nourishment
lateral – side (referring to the spine)
sclerosis – hardening or scarring

The word “lateral” identifies the area where nerve cells in the spinal cord that nourish the muscles are located. As nerve cells die, the muscles receive no nourishment and waste away. Sclerosis occurs as
the area affected deteriorates.

ALS may also be called …
• Lou Gehrig's disease
• MND (Motor Neuron Disease)
• SLA (Sclérose latérale amyotrophique)
• Maladie de Charcot

ALS is a rapidly progressive neuro-uscular disease
• Motor nerve cells die
• Voluntary muscles degenerate
• The senses are unimpaired
• The intellect may remain unaffected
• The cause of ALS is unknown
• ALS is not contagious

Some cases are hereditary
• Less than 10 per cent are familial ALS ALS is a fatal disease with no effective treatment and no cure
• Eighty per cent of people with ALS die within two to five years of diagnosis
• Some people die within a few months
• Ten per cent of those affected may live 10 years or longer ALS is the most common cause of
neurological death in Canada
• The mortality rate for ALS is approximately 2/100,000 per year.
• Approximately 2,500 – 3,000 Canadians over 18 currently live with ALS
 

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