ALS : ALS Stands For, ALS Disease History, Symptoms, Causes, Precautions And Treatment

 The trending News of the passing of actress Sandra Bullock's longtime partner from ALS has once again lifted public awareness for the disease. And we are going to share here with you some of the mo important informations about ALS disease. 

ALS Disease

According to statement given by  family members, Bryan Randall died following a 3-year battle with the ALS disease and he chose early on to keep the battle private.

"Those of us who cared for him did our best to honor his request," read a portion of the statement.

Here's what you should know about the ALS disease.

What is ALS?

What are the symptoms of ALS?

• Muscle cramping and twitching, especially those in the feet and hands. 

• Loss of arms and hands motor control. 

• Impairment in the use of legs and arms. 

• Falling and Tripping. 
• Persistent fatigue. 

• Dropping things. 

• Uncontrollable periods of crying and laughing. 

According to the information of the website of Johns Hopkins Medicine, ALS, that stands for "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis," is a disease that is characterized by progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain.

According to information by the website of Mayo Clinic's, ALS affects motor neurons, or nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements, like talking and walking. 

"ALS causes both groups of motor neurons to gradually deteriorate and then die. When motor neurons are damaged, they stop sending messages to the muscles. As a result, the muscles can't function," read a portion of Mayo Clinic's website.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke ALS is considered to be a common form of motor neuron diseases.

According to the website, the disease is often called Lou Gehrig's Disease. According to his entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica, Lou Gehrig was a professional U.S. baseball player who was diagnosed with the disease in 1939 and passed away in 1941.

What causes ALS?

According to website of Johns Hopkins Medicine's, those who are experts do not know the cause of ALS.

On the Mayo Clinic's website for ALS, it is stated that for about 10 percent of people with ALS, a genetic cause can be identified.

"Most theories center on a complex interaction between factors and genes in the environment," read a portion of the Mayo Clinic's website on ALS.

According to the website of Mayo Clinic's, there are some established risk factors for ALS, such as:

Age, with ALS disease being most common between the ages of sixty and the mid-80s.

Gender, with slightly more Male than Female developing ALS before touching the age of 65. The gender-based difference, however, disappears after the age of 70.

According to Mayo Clinic other environmental factors have also been associated with an increased risk for ALS, such as smoking, military service and environmental toxin exposure. 

"It's unclear what about military service might trigger ALS. It might include exposure to certain chemicals or medals, traumatic injuries, intense exertion, or viral infections," read a portion of the Mayo Clinic website.

According to the website of Johns Hopkins Medicine's ALS, is not contagious, that means that Als can't spread from one person to another like the flu or cold disease.

According Johns Hopkins Medicine website, people that are effected with ALS disease may first have weakness in their limb that develops over a matter of days or weeks.

"Then, several weeks to months later, weakness develops in another limb. Sometimes the initial problem can be one of slurred speech or trouble swallowing," read a portion of the website.

And here are more symptoms, according to the Clinics website, may be noticed as ALS progresses. These symptoms include:

It is stated by website trouble breathing, trouble swallowing and paralysis are also main symptoms in the later stages of the ALS disease.

According to the website of Mayo Clinic, some people with AMS may eventually be diagnosed with a form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia.

How can someone be diagnosed with ALS?

According to the website of Cleveland Clinic's, a healthcare provider will perform a physical exam, and that healthcare provider ask a person about their past disease and medical history. Many other theses will also be done to confirm an ALS diagnosis, including the following:

Urine and Blood and tests. 

A neurological examination. 

Electromyogram, or a test to measure the electrical activity of a person's muscles and nerves. 

A nerve conduction study to test the nerves of patient' ability to send a signal. 

MRI to look at a patient's brain or spine for areas of damage

Other tests may also be done to rule out different diseases with similar symptoms, including spinal fluid tests and muscle and/or nerve biopsy.

Can ALS be cured?

According to the Cleveland Clinic website and the website of Johns Hopkins Medicine, there is no cure for ALS.

Are there treatments for ALS?

According to the website of Cleveland Clinic's, ALS treatments can slow the progression, and they could include the following:

Medicine. 

Physical therapy. 

Nutritional counseling. 

Speech therapy. 

Assistive devices and special equipment, including electric beds and wheelchairs. 

Some people with ALS disease, according to the website of Cleveland Clinic's, also choose to do what is known as "voice banking," or the act of recording a person's voice in a speech synthesizer, which will allow a person to communicate via the speech synthesizer if they can't speak later on.

On the website of Mayo Clinic , it is reported that the Drug and Food Administration has approved 3 medicines for the treatment of ALS Disease, including:

Riluzole. 

Edaravone. 

Sodium Phenylbutyrate-taurursodiol, also known as Relyvrio.

Treatments, according to the website of Mayo Clinic, cannot reverse the damage caused by ALS.

What can I do to prevent getting ALS?

According to the website of Cleveland Clinic, there is no perfect way to prevent getting ALS disease.

What is the outlook for ALS patients?

According to the website of Cleveland Clinic, people with ALS disease typically live for about 3 to 5 years after diagnosis, but other people's can live for 10 years or even more.

"A person's prognosis depends on how quickly the symptoms progress," read a portion of the website.

Are there other famous people with the disease?

Other than Bryan Randall and Lou Gehrig, there have been a lot of other well-known people who have been identified as battling with ALS disease or died from the disease.

One of Well-known people who died from ALS disease include scientist Stephen Hawking, that died in 2018 after living with the disease for over Fifty years, as well as Pat Quinn and Pete Frates , both of whom founded the Ice Bucket Challenge that got fame on social media for some time. Then Pete Frates died in 2019, while Pat Quinn died in 2020.

Here are other celebrities with ALS disease include singer Roberta Flack and former Chicago Bears football player Steve McMichael.

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