ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) occurs when the nerves that move the muscles, not the muscles, are damaged over time and become dysfunctional. It is seen in 4-6 out of a hundred thousand people, and it is thought that there are 3500-5000 ALS patients in Turkey. It is more common in men aged 50-55 years. Its frequency increases with age.
What is the Cause of ALS?
The exact cause of nerve damage is unknown. Many factors such as some environmental factors such as pesticides and heavy metals, hormonal disorders, vitamin deficiency, viruses, and cancer were suspected to cause the disease, but there was not enough evidence for any of them.
How ALS Symptoms Occur ?
It usually occurs more on one side of the body. The muscle moved by the patient nerve weakens over time, loses its volume and shrinks. Over time, swallowing and jaw muscles may also be affected, in which case the patient may have problems with speaking and breathing (it may also be that it starts directly from these muscles).
Twitches and cramps in the muscles may occur. However, this does not mean that everyone with muscle twitches has ALS, on the contrary, muscle twitches are usually innocent and occur due to stress, fatigue, improper diet-diet.
Is ALS Genetic?
Only 5-10% of ALS patients have a familial genetic transmission. In other words, there is no such risk in the relatives of most ALS patients.
How is ALS Diagnosed?
Diagnosis is based on clinical signs and symptoms. However, since the disease can be confused with many muscle and nerve diseases, some examinations should be done. A diagnostic aid is the electromyogram (EMG). Since it can be confused with other diseases, magnetic resonance imaging (MR), some blood and urine tests may be required.
Is ALS Contagious?
No. ALS is not a contagious disease. It does not infect the relatives of the patients and the people who are interested in their treatment.
What is the Treatment of ALS?
After the definitive diagnosis of ALS is made, drug treatment is started. However, this treatment is to slow the progression of the disease. In the advanced stages, it is important to provide nutrition to the patient and protect the respiratory tract.
An important issue here is to treat this disease. It is the unnecessarily allocating financial resources of patients to different unproven treatment methods. These methods do not cure the disease, but they may worsen the disease.
For your questions about ALS, you can consult the expert team of Grup Florence Nightingale Hospitals. You can reach our expert team by using the contact form or by calling 444 0436.
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