ALS

Stephen
Hawking had
ALS

A disease in which
certain nerve cells
in the brain and
spinal cord slowly
die.
 A rare neurological
disease that mainly
involves gradual
01 deterioration and
death of motor
neurons

Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis Weakens muscles
02 and impacts
physical function
AKA

Lou Gehrig's disease Most people with ALS

die from respiratory
failure, usually within
03 3 to 5 years from
when the symptoms
first appear
 Signs and Symptoms
❏ Early Signs
❏ Tripping and falling
❏ Difficulty walking or doing your normal day activities
❏ Hand weakness/ clumsiness
❏ Slurred speech/ troubling swallowing
❏ Weakness in legs, feet, and/or ankles
❏ Muscle cramps and twitching in arms, shoulder, or tounge
❏ Difficulty holding head up or keeping good posture
❏ Symptoms
❏ Lost ability to speak, eat, or move
❏ Fatigue
❏ Drooling
❏ Lack of restraint
❏ Overactive reflexes
❏ Severe unintentional; weight loss
❏ Respiratory Failure
❏ Death usually occurs within 3-5 years of first symptoms
 usually ALS affects men more than
between women. Gender can
ages 40-70 change the features of the
disease
The average age for ALS
is 55.
It is estimated that more
than 20,000 Americans
may be living with ALS

Symptoms most commonly

present in Caucasians and
Found 2 in every 100,000
Non-Hispanics
 Therapy Medication
There are different Theresare medications
types of therapy that in the making that can
can help slow the progression
● Breathing Care of the disease
● Physical Therapy
● Occupational … But there is no
Therapy cure.
● Speech Therapy
● Nutrition support
Statistics ➔ A form of ALS is called familial
ALS (FALS), is inherited and
comprises about 10 percent of
all ALS cases.
➔ According to the ALS CARE
database, about 93 percent of
patients are Caucasian
➔ Approximately 6,000 people in
the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS
each year
➔ Rilutek (riluzole) is an anti-
glutamate oral drug approved
by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for the
treatment of ALS in 1995. The
drug was shown to prolong
patients’ life expectancy by at
least a few months.
Work Cited
Heller, Laura. “ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's Disease.” Johns Hopkins Medicine
Health Library, 5 Oct. 2015,
www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/centers_clinics/als/conditions/als_amyotrophic_lat
eral_sclerosis.html.

“Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research,
12 May 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/symptoms-
causes/syc-20354022.

“Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Fact Sheet.” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-
Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Amyotrophic-Lateral-Sclerosis-ALS-Fact-Sheet.

Naqvi, Erum. “ALS Facts and Statistics.” ALS News Today, ALS News Today, alsnewstoday.com/als-
facts-statistics/.