What is the full form of ALS

ALS: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It is a neurodegenerative disease that affects motor nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It is a progressive disease as it gets worse over time and causes the death of motor nerve cells (neurons) that control the voluntary muscles. Eventually, the motor nerve cells can no longer send impulses/signals to muscles and muscles begin to waste away or decrease in size (atrophy). It affects the ability of the brain to initiate and coordinate muscle movement and the person may not speak, eat, move and breathe properly.

ALS is also known as motor neuron disease (MND). The word "Amyotrophic" is derived from the Greek language. It is a combination of three words, "A" means no. "Myo" means muscle and "Trophic" means nourishment, so it means no muscle nourishment. ALS is discovered by a French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot in 1869. It is also called Lou Gehrig's disease after the famous baseball player was diagnosed with this medical condition.

ALS can be of two types, sporadic and familial. Sporadic is the most common type of ALS in the U.S. Familial, as the name suggests, is a hereditary disease as it passes from one generation to the next generation.

Common Symptoms

The symptoms of ALS may vary from person to person. Some of the common early symptoms are as follows:

• Muscle cramps
• Muscle twitches in the arm, leg, shoulder or tongue
• Tight and stiff muscles
• Difficult chewing or swallowing
• Difficulty breathing and speaking
• walking or carrying out regular tasks with difficulty
• Falling and tripping
• a weakened ankle, foot, or leg
• Hand clumsiness or weakness
• sobbing, laughing, or yawning without cause
• Behavioral and cognitive changes

Before affecting other parts of the body, ALS typically starts in the hands, feet, or limbs. Your muscles become progressively weaker as the disease worsens and more nerve cells are lost. This eventually has an impact on breathing, speaking, chewing, and swallowing.

In the early stages of ALS, there is typically little discomfort, and pain is rare in the later stages. Typically, ALS does not impair your senses or bladder control.

Causes

ALS affects the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements like walking and talking (motor neurons). The motor neurons steadily degrade and eventually die as a result of ALS. The brain, spinal cord, and all the muscles in the body are connected by motor neurons. Motor neurons that have suffered damage stop communicating with the muscles, which prevents the muscles from working.

In 5% to 10% of cases, ALS is hereditary. The reason for the remaining cases is still unknown.

Researchers are still looking at potential ALS causes. The majority of ideas focus on the intricate interplay between hereditary and environmental influences.

Risk Components

The following are recognised ALS risk factors:

• Heredity: Between five and ten percent of those who have ALS inherited it (familial ALS). Most adults with familial ALS have a 50/50 probability of passing the disease along to their children.
• Age: The risk of developing ALS rises with age, peaking between the ages of 40 and 60.
• Sex: Men are slightly more likely than women to develop ALS before the age of 65. After age 70, the sex difference is no longer present.
• Genetics: People with familial ALS and certain people with non-inherited ALS have several genetic changes in common, according to some research that looked at the complete human genome. These genetic variants may increase a person's risk of developing ALS.

The following environmental factors could cause ALS:

• Smoking: The only known environmental risk factor for ALS is smoking. Women appear to be most at risk, especially after menopause.
• Exposure to environmental toxins: According to some data, exposure to lead or other toxins at work or home may contribute to the development of ALS. Numerous studies have been conducted, however, no one substance or chemical has consistently been linked to ALS.
• A military career: Studies have shown that people who have served in the military have a higher risk of developing ALS. It is uncertain what aspect of military duty could cause ALS to manifest. It might involve being exposed to specific metals or chemicals, suffering from physical harm, contracting a virus, or working out vigorously.