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ALS

Published on Nov 19, 2015

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

What is AlS?
AlS is a neurological disease that starts with muscle weakness, and ends with death.

Characteristics of ALS:
Trouble lifting feet and toes,weakness in legs, feet, and hands.Clumsiness, slurred speech, trouble swallowing, cramping of muscles.

Diagnosis of ALS:
Blood, urine, and thyroid tests.Muscle or nerve biopsy, spinal tap, MRI,x-Ray,and an EMG.

Who is at Risk the most:
People whose genetic family members have had the disease. Ages 40+, and slightly more men than women. Smoking, lead exposure, and military service.

Photo by familymwr

Treatment:
Breathing therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutritional , psychological, and social support. The drug riluzole.

Quality of Life:
Despite the severity of the disease, only 10 percent of ALS patients are depressed .

Life Expectancy:
Normal is two too five years, but many people live years longer.

How a person gets ALS?
In 90 percent of the cases the cause is unclear; however, in roughly 10 percent of the cases, a gene mutation is clear.

Other Interesting Facts:
The diagnosis of ALS is roughly 2/1000 people, and about 5600 people contract the disease yearly in the U.S.