What are the symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)?

Introduction

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness and eventual paralysis. While traditionally considered a neuromuscular disease, recent research has highlighted the involvement of non-motor systems, including cognitive and sensory disturbances.

Key Insights

Motor Symptoms:
- ALS is characterized by muscle weakness, muscle wasting, spasticity, and increased reflexes due to the degeneration of both upper and lower motor neurons .
- Patients often experience fasciculations (muscle twitches) and progressive muscular weakness, which can lead to severe disability and require ventilatory support .
Bulbar Symptoms:
- Difficulty in speaking (dysarthria) and swallowing (dysphagia) are common initial symptoms in the bulbar form of ALS .
Respiratory Symptoms:
- Respiratory involvement typically occurs later in the disease, contributing to respiratory failure, which is a common cause of death in ALS patients .
Cognitive and Behavioral Symptoms:
- Cognitive decline, including personality changes, irritability, obsessions, poor insight, and deficits in frontal executive functions, is observed in a subset of ALS patients. These symptoms overlap with frontotemporal dementia .
Pain:
- Pain is a significant and often neglected symptom in ALS, occurring at all stages of the disease. It can manifest as cramping, aching, tiring, sharp, and tender sensations, and is associated with a deterioration in quality of life and increased prevalence of depression .
Sensory Disturbances:
- Although traditionally not associated with sensory neuron involvement, recent evidence suggests abnormalities in sensory neurons in ALS patients, indicating a broader impact of the disease beyond motor neurons.

Conclusion

ALS is a complex neurodegenerative disorder with a wide range of symptoms. The primary symptoms include muscle weakness, spasticity, and bulbar dysfunction, leading to severe disability and respiratory failure. Additionally, cognitive and behavioral changes, pain, and sensory disturbances are significant aspects of the disease, highlighting the need for comprehensive management strategies to improve patient care and quality of life.

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What are the symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)?

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

ALS is a motor neuron disease characterized by muscle weakness and paralysis, with potential disease-modifying therapies and symptomatic therapies playing a significant role in patient management.

Cognitive impairment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Cognitive impairment in ALS patients can lead to personality changes, irritability, obsessions, poor insight, and deficits in frontal executive tests, similar to frontotemporal dementia.

Pain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Pain in ALS patients is a significant symptom, affecting quality of life and predicting clinical deterioration and death.

Sensory nerve disturbance in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Sensory nerve disturbances have been found in ALS patients and mouse models, potentially improving diagnosis and understanding of the disease.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Lou Gehrig's disease.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular condition characterized by muscle weakness, muscle wasting, fasciculations, and increased reflexes.

The evaluation of pain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A case controlled observational study

Pain is a significant symptom in ALS, impacting mood, activity, relationships, and quality of life, and requires multidisciplinary management for better outcomes.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ALS is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorder with muscle weakness, muscle wasting, spasticity, bulbar dysfunction, and respiratory involvement.

[Cerebellar symptoms in motor neuron diseases. Special form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis plus syndrome].

A specific form of ALS-plus syndromes, characterized by upper and lower motor neuron signs combined with cerebellar ataxia, has been identified in two cases.

Non-Motor Symptoms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Multi-Faceted Disorder.

Non-motor symptoms of ALS can significantly impact patients' quality of life and provide valuable information for disease progression and research.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: An update for 2013 Clinical Features, Pathophysiology, Management and Therapeutic Trials.

ALS is an age-related disease with genetic and environmental triggers, and current treatments focus on symptom management and palliative care.

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