2 ALS - The Disease

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)   is a neurological disease that destroys the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement. These cells, called "motor neurons," run from the brain through the brainstem and spinal cord to muscles that control movement in the arms, legs, chest, throat, and mouth. In people with ALS, these cells die off, causing muscle tissues to atrophy or waste away. Each person with ALS experiences a different proportion of upper (brain) and lower (spinal cord and brainstem) motor neurons that die.

 

The initial symptoms of ALS can vary considerably from person to person, as can the rate at which ALS progresses. Not all individuals with ALS develop the same symptoms or the same sequences or patterns of progression. However, all people with ALS will experience progressive muscle weakness and paralysis. Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, recent research suggests that multiple complex factors contribute to the death of motor neurons.

 

Approximately 5,600 people in the United States are diagnosed with ALS each year, or approximately 15 new cases per day. It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time. About 60% of the people reported to have ALS in the United States are men, and 93% of patients are Caucasian. About 90% of patients, like me, have sporadic ALS, and 10% have familial or genetically related ALS.