Motor neuron disease is a disease that occurs as a result of the death of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, called motor neurons, that enable us to move, over time, for an unknown reason. The most well-known of this group of diseases is ALS. In ALS, motor neurons in both the brain and spinal cord die. In some motor neuron diseases, only the motor neurons of the brain die, while in others, only the motor neurons of the spinal cord die.
The most important problem that occurs in patients is muscle wasting and weakness, but it initially starts only in a small area. The development of widespread weakness is certainly not an expected situation. The wasting and loss of strength, which most commonly begins on the thumb or little finger side of one hand, continues over time by spreading to neighboring muscles, the other arm or leg, and may spread to all muscles, including the respiratory muscles. Some motor neuron diseases are limited to a certain group of muscles and do not spread.
In motor neuron disease, three groups of muscles are not affected by the disease; these are the muscles that move the eyes, the muscles that help hold urine and feces, and the stapes muscle that adjusts the intensity of the sound heard in the ear. Because the eye muscles continue to work, patients can communicate with their eyes and use specialized computers in later stages of the disease.
In motor neuron disease, sensory complaints are not a part of the disease because sensory neurons remain intact, but hernias and nerve compressions can easily occur in patients whose muscles are very weak. may develop and therefore numbness may also occur.
No other functions in the brain are impaired except movement. These patients can use their brains to their full functionality like everyone else, and this is very important to take good care of patients. The best example of this issue is the famous scientist Stephen Hawking.
The diagnosis of motor neuron disease may not be made at the beginning because it is necessary to see that the disease has spread for diagnosis. After the disease is diagnosed, there will come a time when the patient needs to be given nutritional and respiratory support. When this time comes, resisting will only accelerate the disease because the body, which cannot eat well and cannot get enough protein, is forced to break down and use its own muscles. Breathing difficulty� This causes long-term oxygen deficiency, causing cells to die faster. In resistant patients, it may be necessary to perform a tracheostomy in emergency situations such as food leaking into the lungs while trying to feed or sudden deterioration of breathing, but the patient is usually negatively affected by this situation.
Studies for the treatment of ALS disease are continuing rapidly and it is important to take the best care of patients until a cure is found.
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