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The
ALS Association National Office
27001 Agoura
Road
Suite 150
Calabasas Hills, CA 91301
Phone:
(818) 880-9007
Patient Hotline: (800) 782-4747
Fax: (818) 880-9006
www.alsa.org
The ALS Association seeks to promote awareness and understanding of ALS and
the work of The ALS Association by providing up-to-date information and education
materials to the ALS community... ALS patients and families, caregivers, researchers and
members in the health care fields.
For the childhood forms
of Motor Neuron disease:
Families of Spinal
Muscular Atrophy
PO Box 1465
Highland Park IL 60035
(708) 432-5551
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders &
Stroke (NINDS)
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda MD 20892
(301) 496-5751
(800) 352-9424
The ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) AOL bulletin board
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Click-on: ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) |
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ALS (Lou Gehrig's
Disease)
Amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurological disorder, characterized by progressive
degeneration of brain cells (motor neurons) that carry impulses from the brain and spinal
cord to the muscles.
In the United States, ALS affects an estimated 2 to 7 out of
every 100,000 persons, between the ages of 35 and 65, and slightly more frequently in men
than in women. Each year, 5,000 Americans are newly diagnosed with ALS. ALS is not a
rare disease and occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic
boundaries.
ALS is also called Lou Gehrig's disease after the baseball
star who died of it.
What are the Symptoms ?
The early symptoms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
include:
 slight muscle weakness,
clumsy hand movements,
difficulty performing tasks that require delicate movements of the fingers
and/or hands,
tripping or falling due to muscular weakness in the legs.
People with ALS may have difficulty swallowing (dysphagia),
and speech may be slowed. Other symptoms include progressive weakness of the lips and
impairment and/or loss of function of the tongue, mouth, and/or voice box, leg cramps
during the night, most frequently in the calf and/or thigh muscles, and also uncontrolled
twitching of muscles (fasciculations), stiffness in the legs, and/or coughing.
ALS does not affect the intellectual functioning. Nor does it
interfere with the ability to taste, see, smell, hear or recognize touch.
What are the Causes ?
ALS cause is not known, although slow-acting viruses have
been suspected. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of all cases of ALS are hereditary.
Is there any Treatment ?
No specific treatment yet exists, although Rilutek¨
(manufactured by Rh™ne-Poulenc Rorer), was approved by the FDA in late 1995 to alter the
course of ALS, and appears to prolong the life of persons with ALS by at least a few
months.
With recent advances in research and improved medical care,
many patients are living longer, more productive lives. About twenty percent live five
years or more and up to ten percent will survive more than ten years.
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