ALS (disease): symptoms and diagnostic methods

2024 Author: Curtis Blomfield | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 20:44

The human nervous system is very vulnerable. That is why there are many different diseases that can affect this particular part of the body. In this article I would like to talk about what is ALS (disease). Symptoms, causes of the disease, as well as methods of diagnosis and possible treatment.

What is this?

At the very beginning, you need to understand the basic concepts. It is also very important to understand what ALS (disease) is, the symptoms of the disease will be discussed a little later. Deciphering the abbreviation: atrophic lateral sclerosis. With this disease, the human nervous system is affected, namely, motor neurons suffer. They are located in the cerebral cortex and in the anterior horns of the spinal cord. It is also worth mentioning that this disease has a chronic form and, unfortunately, is currently incurable.

Types

There are also three types of ALS:

1. Sporadic, classic. Not inherited. It accounts for approximately 95% of all cases of morbidity.
2. Hereditary (or family). As it has already become clear, it is inherited. However, for this type of diseasecharacterized by a later onset of the first symptoms.
3. Guam-type or Mariana form. Its feature: it appears earlier than the two above. The progression of the disease is slow.

First symptoms

It is worth mentioning that the first symptomatology of this disease may also apply to other other diseases. This is precisely the insidiousness of the problem: it is almost impossible to diagnose it immediately. So, ALS first symptoms are:

1. Weak muscles. It mainly concerns the ankles and feet.
2. Atrophy of the arms, weakness of their muscles. Dysmotility may also occur.
3. In early stage patients, the foot may droop slightly.
4. Recurrent muscle spasms are typical. Shoulders, arms, tongue may twitch.
5. Limbs get weak. The patient has difficulty walking long distances.
6. The occurrence of dysarthria is also characteristic, i.e. speech disorder.
7. The first swallowing difficulties also occur.

If a patient has ALS (disease), the symptoms will develop and increase as the disease progresses. Further, the patient may periodically feel causeless fun or sadness. Atrophy of the tongue and imbalance may occur. All this happens because a person suffers from higher mental activity. In some cases, before the main symptoms appear, cognitive functions may be impaired. Those. dementia appears (this happens infrequently, in about 1-2% of cases).

Development of disease

What else is important for people interested in ALS to know? Symptoms that occur in the patient as the disease progresses can tell what kind of disease he has:

1. ALS limbs. First of all, the legs are affected. Further, the dysfunction of the limbs progresses.
2. Bulbar ALS. In this case, the main symptoms are impaired speech function, as well as problems with swallowing. It is worth saying that this type of disease is much less common than the first.

Increase in symptoms

What should an ALS patient know? Symptoms will gradually increase, the functionality of the limbs will decrease.

1. The pathological Babinski reflex will gradually occur when the upper motor neurons are affected.
2. Muscle tone will be increased, reflexes will be enhanced.
3. The lower motor neurons will gradually be affected as well. In this case, the patient will feel involuntary twitching of the limbs.
4. At the same time, quite often, sick people develop a depressive state, there is a spleen. All because a person loses the ability to exist without anyone's help, the ability to move is lost.
5. With ALS, the symptoms also affect the respiratory system: the patient begins to stop breathing.
6. It also becomes impossible to feed yourself. The patient is often inserted into a special tube through which the person receives allfood necessary for existence.

It is worth mentioning that ALS can occur quite early. Symptoms at a young age will not differ from the symptoms of a patient in whom the first signs appeared much later. It all depends on the body, as well as on the type of disease. With the development of the disease, a person gradually becomes disabled, loses the ability to exist independently. Over time, the limbs completely fail.

Last stage

In the last stages of the disease, the patient's respiratory function is often disturbed, respiratory muscle failure is possible. In such cases, patients need ventilation. Over time, the drainage function of this organ may develop, which often leads to the fact that a secondary infection joins, which further kills the patient.

Diagnosis

Having considered such a disease as ALS, symptoms, diagnosis - that's what I also want to talk about. It is worth saying that this disease is detected most often by excluding other problems with the body. In this case, the following diagnostic tools can be prescribed to the patient:

1. Blood test.
2. Muscle biopsy.
3. X-ray.
4. Tests to determine muscle activity.
5. CT, MRI.

Differentiation

It is worth saying that this disease has symptoms that are manifested in other diseases. That is why it is necessary to differentiate ALS with the followingproblems:

1. Cervical myelopathy.
2. Intoxication with mercury, lead, manganese.
3. Guyenne-Bare Syndrome.
4. Malabsorption syndrome.
5. Endocrinopathy and others

Treatment

After a little consideration of such a disease as ALS, symptoms, treatment - this is also what you need to pay special attention to. As mentioned above, it is impossible to completely recover. However, there are drugs that help slow down the course of the disease. In this case, patients most often take medications such as Riluzol, Rilutek (daily twice a day). This drug is able to slightly prevent the release of glutamine, a substance that affects motor neurons. However, various therapies will also be useful, the main goal of which is to combat the main symptoms:

1. If the patient is depressed, he may be prescribed antidepressants, tranquilizers.
2. It is important to take muscle relaxants for muscle spasms.
3. Pain relief if necessary, opiates in advanced disease.
4. If the patient's sleep is disturbed, benzodiazepine preparations will be needed.
5. If there are bacterial complications, you will need to take antibiotics (with ALS, bronchopulmonary diseases often occur).

Auxiliaries:

1. Speech therapy.
2. Saliva ejector or taking a drug like Amitriptyline.
3. tube feeding, diet.
4. The use of variousdevices that can ensure the movement of the patient: beds, chairs, canes, special collars.
5. May need mechanical ventilation.

Traditional medicine, acupuncture is useless for this disease. It is also worth mentioning that not only the patient, but also his relatives often need the help of a psychotherapist.