Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis( motor neuron disease, Gehrig's disease, Charcot's disease) is a neurodegenerative idiopathic state of unknown etiology.
Side( lateral) amyotrophic sclerosis( BAS), despite a long, centuries-long study, is considered a fatal pathology of the nervous system.
Questions of pathogenesis and etiology of the disease have not yet been clarified, and therefore specific diagnostic and treatment methods are developed.
It is noted that ALS is more common in persons up to forty years of age.
Causes of the disease
Because the exact causes of the disease are still not known, risk factors that increase the likelihood of the disease are suggested:
- neurotrophic factor disorders;
- the amplified activity of amino acids-causative agents;
- free radical oxidation of neuronal cells;
- mutation of genes( superoxide dismutase);
- mutation of proteins( ubiquin).
Symptoms of
Early signs of the disease rarely cause caution in humans:
- muscle weakness;
- muscle cramps;
- weakness of the limbs;
- muscle twitching( fasciculation);
- muscle numbness in the limbs;
- difficulty in speaking( dysarthria).
These symptoms occur in a variety of diseases, and therefore they only interfere with proper diagnosis in the early stages of the disease.
And only in the late stages of the disease, it is possible to determine what kind of disease the patient develops:
- of the ALS of the extremities( most often affects the lower limbs);
- bulbar BAS( difficulty in swallowing food, speech disorders).
Over time, muscle weakness covers new areas of the body, and specific signs of the disease are seen more clearly:
- the presence of the Babinsky reflex, strengthening reflexes, increased muscle tone( signs of motor disorders, upper neurons);
- involuntary twitching, weakness and muscle atrophy( signs of motor disorders, lower neurons).
Further progression of the disease leads to disability of the patient.
He is lost:
- limb mobility;
- self-service capabilities.
At the last stage of the disease, respiratory function failure occurs( pulmonary muscle paralysis).
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of ALS depends on the correct interpretation of the clinical condition of each individual patient.
This disease must be differentiated from many different processes with a similar clinic.
When diagnosing ALS, the following methods are used:
- electromyography( allows to identify the result of degeneration of muscle tissue);
- magnetic resonance imaging( reveals lesions and allows to assess the state of nerve fibers).
Treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
We regret to note that to date there is no absolutely effective treatment.
Therefore, medical tactics lies in the inhibition of the development of the disease:
- shows patients receiving restorative means and massage of the limbs;
- failure of respiratory function requires artificial ventilation;
- to avoid penetration into the body of infection, a set of preventive measures( antibiotic therapy);
- for the isolation of glutamic acid, the inhibitor Riluzon is used, which reduces neuronal damage.
Take care of yourself.
Stay healthy!
