Health Presentation Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Zhenette Stevens

INTRODUCTION –Would you like to find out about a disease that is becoming more common and could affect the family members of anyone here today? –People should be aware of the causes and risk factors involved. –A good way to catch any disease in its early stages is to be aware of its symptoms. –If you are diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, I want to let you know what the treatment is and how to manage the disease. –So today, I am going to explain what the disease ALS is, its causes and risk factors, its symptoms, and treatment and management of ALS.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis –What is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis –Description –Causes and risk factors –Symptoms –Treatment and Management

What is Amyotrophic Sclerosis –Often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” it is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body.

Description –Amyotrophic comes from Greek Language. “ A” means no or negative. “Myo” refers to the muscle, and “Trophic” means nourishment.” No Muscle Nourishment” Also known as ALS. –Some well-known people have been diagnosed with the disease, including former NFL player Kevin Turner and Professor Steven Hawking. –Kevin Turner started the Kevin Turner Foundation to raise awareness about ALS. –Steven Hawking has continued his work in Physics despite being unable to speak and having spent many years confined to a wheelchair.

Causes –“Familial” Amyotrophic sclerosis means that the disease is inherited, although no such pattern exists in the majority of ALS cases. –Some people contract ALS by inheriting the disease, and others contract it randomly. –Whether inherited or contracted randomly, the causes of ALS include gene mutation and protein mishandling. –Various genetic mutations can lead to inherited forms of ALS. There is little difference between non-inherited forms and inherited forms of ALS. –Evidence suggests that imbalanced proteins in nerve cells can lead to a gradual accumulation of abnormal forms of proteins in cells, eventually causing the nerve cells to die.

Risk Factors –Risk factors include heredity and age. –Approximately 10% of those with ALS inherited the disease through their families. Also, once someone has ALS, there is a 50% chance that their children will develop it. –The highest risk group is people between 40 and 60 years of age.

Symptoms –Vary with each individual, but they usually include tripping, dropping things, abnormal fatigue of the arms and or legs, slurred speech, muscle cramps or twitches and involuntary periods of crying and laughing. –The early signs and symptoms of ALS are confined to specific parts of the body. –One of the first symptoms is footdrop. –Muscle cramps and twitching in the arms, shoulders, and tongue. –The advanced signs and symptoms of ALS are recognized by the fact that the disease spreads to other parts of the body. –Muscles throughout the body become progressively weaker. –It eventually affects chewing, ultimately resulting in paralysis as the disease continues to spread.

Treatment and Management of ALS –There is no cure for ALS. –Physical therapy and rehabilitation techniques can help patients learn how to work around the weakness and functional disability caused by the disease. –The primary physician will usually recommend that the patient begin working with a physical therapist and an occupational therapist. A physical therapist develops a plan for cardiovascular fitness, which begins with a range of low-impact exercises. An occupational therapist helps patients to mobilize around the house by using devices such as braces, wheelchairs, and walkers.

Conclusion: –In conclusion, the more that people know about ALS, the better the chances of recognizing the disease in its early stages, which leads to higher rates of success in treating and managing the disease. –So I hope that you have learned some valuable information about ALS.