Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gherig's Disease)

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of motor control in hands and arms
Difficulty speaking and swallowing or difficulty breathing
Persistent fatigue
Twitching and cramping, sometimes severely

As ALS progresses, all voluntary muscles become useless. The patient
cannot eat, breathe or communicate with others. Total life support may be the
only thing keeping them alive. ALS can lead to total paralysis.

Although there is no cure, medications such as siazepam can assist with
controlling spasms and muscle cramps and saliva. Siazepam can also help control
muscle twitching. Physical therapy is important for patients with ALS to
maintain flexibility in joints and to prevent contractures, or fixations of
muscles.

Diagnosis of ALS is difficult, since there is no clinical or laboratory
test to identify it. Diagnosis is done through careful examination of a patient’
s history, neurological testing, and electromyograms.

Researchers have been studying whether a defective metabolism of
glutamate, an amino acid, is ...

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