ALS+jordan&jena

** ALS ** -Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis -Lou Gehrig's disease -A rapidly progressive fatal neurological disease that attacks nerve cells -A motor neuron disease, which causes a gradual degeneration and death of motor neurons (nerve cells) media type="youtube" key="FzujEAEvgPw" height="344" width="425" **__ SYMPTOMS/EFFECTS __** -Twitching, stiffness of muscles, cramping and difficulty speaking are the first signs -Lose strength and ability to move your body -Muscles, diaphragm, and chest fail -Lose ability to breathe without ventilatory support -Memory is lost, depression, anxiety, and problems with decision making -Difficulty chewing and swallowing -Tripping and stumbling -Overactive gag reflex -Babinski's sign -Maintaining your weight becomes a problem **__ STATISTICS __** -Twenty thousand Americans have ALS -About five thousand in the US are diagnosed each year -One of the most common neuromuscular diseases -Affects people of all races and ethnic backgrounds -Men are more likely to get it then women -Commonly strikes between the ages of forty and sixty -Occurs at random, usually no family history of the disease -A family member having the disease will not increase your risk of getting it

__** TREATMENT **__

-No cure -Riluzole reduces the damage of motor neurons by decreasing the release of glutamate. It is the first FDA approved drug for the treatment. -There are other treatments to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. -Physical therapy can inhance the patients independence and saftey -Low impact aerobic exercises can strengthen the unaffected muscles, improve heart health and help patients fight fatigue -Patients with a difficulty speaking benefit from working with a speech therapist -BIPAP can assist patients with breathing while sleeping - A home hospice team can help patients at home -The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is the leading supporter of biomedical research on ALS -The Walk to Defeat ALS is a national signature event, each year over one hundred thousand people join together to raise funds for research and patient service programs.

**__INHERITANCE__** - Five to ten percent of cases are inherited -Pattern of inheritance that requires only one parent to carry the gene responsible for the disease -Autosomal dominant -Twenty percent of cases result from a specific genetic defect from the mutation of the enzyme known as superoxide dismutase 1 -Other unidentified genetic causes exist. -Mutation on the 16th chromosome media type="youtube" key="fwhXqmcpbhU" height="344" width="425" __**INTERESTING FACTS**__ -Lou Gehrig, a famous baseball player who played for the New York Yankees and had a very successful career; was diagnosed with ALS at thirty six years old, and contributed to the name of the disease. -Mao Zedong, who led the Communist party of China to their victory over the Kuomintang in the Chinese civil war, had ALS. -Eighty percent of patients die within two to five years of their diagnosis -ALS strikes the whole family because it is a very costly disease, and they become the primary caregivers SOURCES [] (Information) [] (Famous People) [] (Image of Lou Gehrig) [] (Walk logo) [] (ALS interview) [] (man in wheelchair) [] (ALS commercial)

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