Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

As we all know, as people age, they will slowly become aged, their skin will become loose and inelastic, and will become very dry or dehydrated, their hair will begin to turn gray, their muscles will begin to become loose, and their body functions will begin to decline. The most uncomfortable thing is that diseases will begin to occur more frequently, so at this time we need to exercise regularly to enhance our physical fitness and ability to resist diseases.

However, some diseases come suddenly without any warning, such as sudden heart attack, sudden myocardial infarction, and muscular atrophy. Let’s talk about muscular atrophy. Muscular atrophy refers to the atrophy of human muscles due to some reasons. Sometimes the body is even unable to move. Severe cases can lead to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. So, what is ALS?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a motor neuron disease, a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system in young adults. The age of onset is between 20 and 40 years old, with the peak age being 30. There are slightly more females, with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 1:1.2. The cause of the disease may be related to genetic factors, viral infection, immune response, environmental factors, etc. The onset is mostly subacute, characterized by multiple lesions, variable clinical manifestations, fluctuating course, and frequent remissions and relapses.

Symptoms of ALS

1. The patient is easily emotionally excited, or experiences forced crying or laughing, and suffers from memory loss, cognitive impairment, or intellectual impairment, which may lead to dementia in the late stages.

2. Speech disorders are mostly caused by cerebellar lesions or pseudobulbar palsy, which can be seen in unclear articulation, inconsistent speech, and even vocal cord paralysis.

3. Cranial nerve dysfunction can be seen in the form of decreased vision and a dark spot in the center of the visual field caused by optic neuritis. Internuclear ophthalmoplegia, diplopia, ptosis, irregular or constricted pupils, and nystagmus are also common manifestations. 1-2% of patients suffer from trigeminal neuralgia, and some may have facial paralysis, hemifacial spasm, etc.

4. Sensory impairment is often caused by spinal cord damage. Common symptoms include tingling and numbness, but may also include a sense of tightness, burning, cold, or painful paresthesias. The pain is usually in the back, calves, and arms.

5. Movement disorders include spastic paralysis and cerebellar ataxia. In the early stages, symptoms include clumsy hand movements and tremors, and the lower limbs are prone to stumbling. Or there may be speech incoherence and painful myotonic spasms.

6. Other diseases and symptoms. A small number of patients experience frequent urination and urgency in the early stages of the disease, and urinary retention or incontinence in the later stages. Some patients experience impotence and loss of libido. Modern medicine currently has no targeted treatment. Hormones and immunosuppressants can be used. Upper respiratory tract infection, surgery, trauma, other infectious diseases, cold, childbirth, mental stimulation, overwork, etc. are all possible triggers of this disease.

Through the above introduction, we should have a certain understanding of the disease of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but understanding alone is not enough. We must know how to prevent it in our daily lives, especially the elderly and the frail people. Because the cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is still unclear, we must strengthen our physical exercise in our daily life to better maintain our health.