Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis refers to a relatively rare nervous system disease. In the year 1869, doctor Jean-Martin Charcot discovered the condition. The condition has another term, that is Lou Gehrig's disease, after a basket player was diagnosed with it.
ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a member of a group of motor neuron diseases. When motor neurons stop functioning, your muscles become frail and eventually pine away. Consulting the leading neurologist in Siliguri can be of utmost help in terms of optimal recovery.
This disease affects the ability to move, eat, speak, and breathe. Since it’s a progressive disease, the condition gets alarming over time. There’s no exact way to cure ALS. But because of medical advancement, quality healing is possible.
Symptoms ofAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
The signs and symptoms of ALS may differ from person to person. There’re chances that a person with ALS may not understand the indication early on.
ALS can cause:
- Muscle twitches in the leg, arm, tongue, shoulder
- Difficulty walking
- Trouble performing day-to-day tasks
- Muscle cramps
- Nasal speech
- Slurred speech
- Stiff muscles
- Tripping
- Behavioural changes
- Difficulty chewing, swallowing
It leads to issues with both upper and lower motor neurons. Your motor neurons deliver messages to your brain and spinal cord, therefore, regulating all the voluntary movements.
With ALS, your brain and spinal cord don’t receive signals to act properly. Due to disruptions in signal channelling, your organ/tissue starts to become weak. As time progresses, the effects turn more prominent.
What Leads toAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis?
Much remains undiscovered about the exact cause of ALS. However, medical findings have shown ALS to be an inherited factor. Mutation/genetics and environmental aspects may contribute to ALS.
There’re risk factors for ALS that should be taken into consideration:
- A family history of ALS may put you at risk of it. But if you have a parent with ALS that doesn’t mean you’ll also get it.
- A genetic mutation has a role here as it makes people more vulnerable to developing this concern.
- Prolonged exposure to lead is associated with the risk of ALS. However, further study is required.
- Exposure to metals, chemicals, severe exertion, traumatic injury, viral infections can increase the likelihood of ALS development,
- Smoking comes under environmental factors that may put one at a greater risk of this disease. Such practice after menopause can be a significant contributing factor.
Complications ofAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
As ALS advances, the possible health concerns develop as given below:
· Initially, trouble speaking may not seem so concerning. But with time, mild discomforts become intense. Individuals tend to undergo understanding, speech, and communication difficulties. They often count on devices to communicate in a better way.
· Breathing issues are also common in people with ALS. ALS damages the muscles that control breathing. The poorly treated condition may result in respiratory failure as well.
· Eating issues are also common as ALS affects the muscles responsible for regulating swallowing. Medical attention is of immense need so as to safeguard wellbeing against malnutrition. Reach out to the top multispecialty hospital in Siliguri to get expert neurological advice.
In order to heal the Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, doctors may suggest a combination of medication and therapies. Improvements may take time depending upon how extreme ALS becomes. It’s wise to consider talking with a doctor once you discover such discomforts.