Understanding and Managing ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disorder. It affects motor neurons, the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement and breathing. ALS is a progressive disease, meaning it worsens over time. As these nerve cells degenerate, they stop sending messages to the muscles. Eventually, the brain can no longer send messages to control breathing and voluntary movements, like talking, walking, or chewing. ALS is also sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease. Gehring was a beloved baseball player who played for the New York Yankees for 17 years. He was diagnosed with ALS in 1939 and passed away from the disease in 1941.

1. Importance of early diagnosis and understanding symptoms

ALS can be difficult to diagnose early. Symptoms can be minor and nonspecific, and the onset of the disease can be gradual and vary significantly from one person to the next. The most common initial symptom of ALS is a gradual onset of progressive muscle weakness that is generally painless. Early diagnosis is essential for disease progression as there are few drugs approved to treat ALS, and they are more effective in the early stages of the disease.