Amyotrophic Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisLateral Sclerosis

(ALS)(ALS)

Lou Gehrig’s diseaseLou Gehrig’s disease

What is ALS?

A progressive neurodegenerative disease

Affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord

►Motor neurons reach from the Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body.muscles throughout the body.

►The progressive degeneration of The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS the motor neurons in ALS eventually lead to their death.eventually lead to their death.

►When the motor neurons die, When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle initiate and control muscle movement is lost.movement is lost.

►Patients in the later Patients in the later stages of the disease stages of the disease may become totally may become totally paralyzed. paralyzed.

►For the vast majority of For the vast majority of people, their minds people, their minds remain unaffected.remain unaffected.

A-myo-trophicA-myo-trophicGreek languageGreek language““A” means no or negative.A” means no or negative.““Myo” refers to muscle.Myo” refers to muscle.““Trophic” means nourishment.Trophic” means nourishment.

““No Muscle Nourishment”No Muscle Nourishment”

Lateral

Identifies the areas in a person’s spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located.

As this area degenerates, it leads to scarring or hardening (“sclerosis”) in the region.

Symptoms of ALS

Muscle weakness in one or more of the following: hands, arms, legs or muscles of speech, swallowing or breathing

Twitching and cramping of muscles Impairment of the use of the arms

and legs Thick speech and difficulty in

projecting the voice Shortness of breath, difficulty

breathing and swallowing

Symptoms (con’t.) Since ALS attacks only motor neurons,

the senses of sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell are not affected.

For many people, muscles of the eyes and bladder are generally not affected.

For the majority, their mind and thought are not impaired and remain sharp even though the body is degenerating.

Who Gets ALS?Over 5,600 people in the US are

diagnosed each year.60% are men; 93% are

Caucasian50% of all people affected live at

least 3+ years after diagnosis.

TreatmentNo cure or treatment that halts or reverses ALS.FDA approved drug, Rilutek, that modestly slows the progression of ALS.Therapies can help manage the symptoms.

Famous People with ALSFamous People with ALS

Harry Harry BrowneBrowne -- -- Author and Author and two-time two-time Libertarian Libertarian U.S. U.S. presidential presidential candidatecandidate

Famous PeopleFamous People

Lou GehrigLou Gehrig -- -- National National Baseball Hall Baseball Hall of Fame of Fame member. ALS member. ALS is often called is often called Lou Gehrig's Lou Gehrig's disease.disease.

Famous PeopleFamous People

Stephen Stephen HawkingHawking -- -- physicist and physicist and author of author of A Brief A Brief History of TimeHistory of Time. . Hawking has lived Hawking has lived with ALS for the with ALS for the past 43 years.past 43 years.

Famous PeopleFamous People

Jim Jim "Catfish" "Catfish" HunterHunter -- -- Baseball Baseball playerplayer

Famous PeopleFamous People

Morrie Morrie SchwartzSchwartz -- -- Educator and Educator and subject of the subject of the book book Tuesdays Tuesdays with Morriewith Morrie by by Mitch AlbomMitch Albom

Famous PeopleFamous People

Mao Tse TungMao Tse Tung -- -- Communist leader Communist leader of China, according of China, according to a biography to a biography written by his written by his personal physicianpersonal physician

Famous PeopleFamous People

Henry Henry WallaceWallace -- -- U.S. vice U.S. vice president president under under Franklin D. Franklin D. RooseveltRoosevelt