Reticulum Rex Medical Centre

Posts Tagged ‘Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis’

Doctors can prescribe medicines to help reduce fatigue, reduce muscle cramps, control spasticity, and reduce excess saliva and phlegm. There are also medications available to help patients with pain, depression, sleep problems, and constipation. Pharmacists can advise on the use of drugs and monitor patient’s prescriptions to avoid the risk of dangerous interactions between drugs.

Physical therapy and special equipment can enhance the independence and security of patients in the course of ALS. Moderate aerobic exercise, low impact like walking, swimming or riding a stationary bike, can strengthen unaffected muscles, improve cardiovascular health and help patients fight fatigue and depression. Read the rest of this entry »

So far not found any cure for ALS. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first drug treatment for the disease-riluzole (Rilutek). Riluzole is believed to reduce damage to motor neurons by decreasing the release of glutamate.

Clinical trials with ALS patients showed that riluzole prolongs survival by several months, especially those with difficulty swallowing. The drug also extends the time before the patient need to wear a respirator.

Riluzole does not reverse the damage already done to motor neurons and should monitor patients taking the drug to see that no damage to the liver or other side effects. However, this first disease-specific therapy offers hope that some day it may slow progression of ALS with new drugs or combinations of drugs. Read the rest of this entry »

No known cause of ALS and scientists still do not know why some people attack and not others. A major step to answer this question came in 1993 when scientists supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) found that mutations in the gene for SOD1 enzyme were associated with some cases of familial ALS.

This enzyme is a powerful antioxidant that protects the body from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly unstable molecules produced by cells during normal metabolism. If not neutralized, free radicals can accumulate and cause random damage to DNA and proteins in cells.

Although it is unclear how the SOD1 gene mutation leads to motor neuron degeneration, researchers have theorized that an accumulation of free radicals can result from malfunction of this gene. In support of this theory, studies in animals show that motor neuron degeneration and deficits in motor function accompany the presence of a mutation in SOD1. Read the rest of this entry »

The onset of ALS may be so subtle that often ignore the symptoms. The first symptoms may include twitching, cramping or muscle stiffness, muscle weakness affecting an arm or leg, damaged or nasal speech, or difficulty chewing or swallowing. These widespread complaints then become more obvious weakness or atrophy, which may lead the physician to suspect ALS.

The parts of the body affected by early symptoms of ALS depend on which muscles in the body are damaged first. In some cases, initial symptoms affect one leg and patients experience difficulty walking or running or they realize they face or stumble more often. Read the rest of this entry »

What is ALS?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease is a progressive neurological disease, invariably fatal, that attacks the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. This disease belongs to a group of conditions called motor neuron diseases, which are characterized by the gradual degeneration and death of motor neurons.

Motor neurons are nerve cells located in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord that serve as control units and vital communication links between the nervous system and voluntary muscles of the body. Read the rest of this entry »