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Date Submitted: 03/04/2016 10:50 AM
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 1
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Kaushik Peram
Medical Interventions Dublin City Schools Biomedical Research Academy
Mr. Roger Rabold
January 11, 2016
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 2
Introduction
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS
is a progressive disease of the central nervous
system. “A” means “no,” “myo” implies muscle cells, and “trophic” refers to nourishment. The
disease occurs when nerve cells that extend from the brain to the spinal cord (upper motor
neurons), and from the spinal cord to the peripheral nerves (lower motor neurons), degenerate
and die. “Lateral” refers to the areas of the spinal cord that are affected, and “sclerosis” occurs as
hard tissue replaces the previously originally healthy nerve. The parts of the body that are
affected are any areas that are involved in the use of motor neurons. ALS weakens skeletal
muscles. It is usually considered painless. For some, ALS affects the limbs first, making it hard
to move; this is called limb onset ALS. In others, the symptoms affect the facial muscles,
speech, and swallowing. This condition is called bulbar onset ALS. Since ALS is a progressive
condition, most will suffer from all of these symptoms. Though many pathological treatments
have been elucidated, ALS still remains a fatal disease if not treated properly and with caution.
The heterogeneity of the disease and the inability to formulate an effective therapy reinforce the
view that ALS is a multifactorial disease. This paper will cover topics such as, “What is the
disease”, “What are some of the symptoms”, and finally “The effects of the symptoms on the
patient (MedicineNet, 2015).”
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 3
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