Question

Alain Pierre Dumas is young adult who was diagnosed recently after a car accident with an early form of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He is terrified because he has no idea about this disease. He then turns to youan old friend in science major and asks you: 1. What is the cause of ALS? 2. do not experience any symptom at the moment. What symptoms & signs will eventually result in the future? 3. If ALS eventually gets worse and results to deathwhat would be the cause? Why? Be specific.

Answer 1

1 ALS can either be sporadic or familial.

Sporadic ALS occurs randomly, and it accounts for 90 to 95 percent of cases. There is no clear risk factor or cause.

Familial ALS is inherited. Around 5 to 10 percent of cases are familial. The child of a person with ALS will have a 50 percent chance of developing the condition.

Other possible causes of ALS-

• Disorganized immune response: The immune system may attack some of the body’s cells, possibly killing nerve cells.
• Chemical imbalance: Patients with ALS often have higher levels of glutamate, a chemical messenger in the brain, near the motor neurons. Glutamate in high quantities is known to be toxic to nerve cells.
• Mishandling of proteins: If proteins are not processed correctly by nerve cells, abnormal proteins could potentially accumulate and cause the nerve cells to die.

2 the symptoms of ALS include

• difficulty carrying out daily activities, including walking
• increased clumsiness
• weakness in the feet, hands, legs, and ankles
• cramping and twitching in the arms, shoulders, or tongue
• difficulty maintaining good posture and holding the head up
• uncontrolled outbursts of laughing or crying, known as emotional lability
• cognitive changes
• slurring of speech and difficulty with voice projection
• pain
• fatigue
• problems with saliva, and mucus
• difficulty breathing and swallowing, in the later stages

3 the most common cause of death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients are due to respiratory failure. penumonia and broncho penumonia are the main causes of death in ALS patients . a more proactive treatment on respiratory infections could have increased the survival impact.