ALS

ALS **

**__ What is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis? __**
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrigs disease is a genetic disorder in which you have respiratory failure. About four out of eight people per 100,000 individuals are diagnosed each year in the world. Around 5,000 people are diagnosed each year in the US. ALS involves four genes. ALS type 1 involves the Sod1 gene. ALS type 2 involves the ALS2 gene and type 4 involves the SETX gene. Type 8 involves the VAPB gene. ALS2 is on Chromosome 2, SETX is on chromosome 9, SOD1 is on chromosome 21, and VAPB is on chromosome 20. Variations in ANG, DCTN1, NEFH, PRPH, and SMN1 genes also lead to ALS.

There are many symptoms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. People with type 1 ALS usually die between 40-60 years old. Types 2 die between 10-15 years old. Type 4 die before 25 years old and type 8 die between 25-40 years old. Some early symptoms are: After diagnosis the symptoms become even worse including: · Speech getting slurred · Difficulty chewing or swallowing · Arms and legs become thinner · Loss of strength · Loss of your ability to walk · Can’t use arm and hands · Breathing is difficult
 * __ What are the symptoms of ALS? __**
 * Muscle Twitting
 * Cramping
 * Stiffness
 * Weakness

Only about 10% of people inherit this disorder. You can only inherit this disorder from an autosomal recessive gene. The other 90% are sporadic or to have no pattern or certain time. They use Riluzole, Baclofen, and Trihexyphenidy. Riluzole doesn’t stop the disorder but slows it down. Baclofen is used for muscle spasm and Trihexyphenidy is for swallowing saliva. They also use therapy and rehabilitation.
 * __ How can you inherit this disorder and what treatments are used to cure the disorder? __**


 * __ Other information on ALS __**

Lou Gehrig who played for the Yankees had ALS. He was born on June 19, 1903 in New York City. He was the son of German immigrants and the only one of four kids to survive. Later he went to Columbia on a football scholarship. While playing football the New York giant’s manager told Lou to play professional summer baseball under the name Henry Lewis. He sighed with the Yankees in 1923 and played for 13 years. He died from ALS on June 2, 1941.