Als how do you die

Muscle cramping and twitching fasciculation occurs, as does loss of muscle bulk atrophy. Symptoms may be limited to a single body region or mild symptoms may affect more than one region. Physical effects The person may experience fatigue, poor balance, slurred words, a weak grip, tripping when walking, or other minor symptoms. Sometimes this stage occurs before a diagnosis is made. Middle stages Muscles Symptoms become more widespread.

Some muscles are paralyzed, while others are weakened or unaffected. Fasciculations may continue. Physical effects Unused muscles may cause contractures , in which the joints become rigid, painful, and sometimes deformed. If a fall occurs, the person may not be able to stand back up alone. In other cases, symptoms initially affect one leg. People experience awkwardness when walking or running, or they may trip or stumble more often.

As the disease progresses , muscle weakness and atrophy spread to other parts of the body. Individuals may develop problems with moving, swallowing called dysphagia , speaking or forming words dysarthria , and breathing dyspnea. Although the sequence of emerging symptoms and the rate of disease progression can vary from person to person, eventually individuals will not be able to stand or walk, get in or out of bed on their own, or use their hands and arms.

Individuals with ALS usually have difficulty swallowing and chewing food, which makes it hard to eat. They also burn calories at a faster rate than most people without ALS. Due to these factors, people with ALS tend to lose weight rapidly and can become malnourished.

Because people with ALS usually can perform higher mental processes such as reasoning, remembering, understanding, and problem solving, they are aware of their progressive loss of function and may become anxious and depressed. A small percentage of individuals may experience problems with language or decision-making, and there is growing evidence that some may even develop a form of dementia over time.

Individuals with ALS eventually lose the ability to breathe on their own and must depend on a ventilator. Affected individuals also face an increased risk of pneumonia during later stages of the disease. Besides muscle cramps that may cause discomfort, some individuals with ALS may develop painful neuropathy nerve disease or damage.

ALS is a common neuromuscular disease worldwide. It affects people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. Some studies suggest that military veterans are about 1. Although the reason for this is unclear, possible risk factors for veterans include exposure to lead, pesticides, and other environmental toxins. ALS is recognized as a service-connected disease by the U. Department of Veterans Affairs. This means the disease seems to occur at random with no clearly associated risk factors and no family history of the disease.

Although family members of people with sporadic ALS are at an increased risk for the disease, the overall risk is very low and most will not develop ALS. About 5 to 10 percent of all ALS cases are familial, which means that an individual inherits the disease from a parent. The familial form of ALS usually only requires one parent to carry the disease-causing gene.

Mutations in more than a dozen genes have been found to cause familial ALS. On June 1, , a team of scientists let by the NIH and the Uniformed Services University announced it had discovered a unique form of genetic ALS that affects children as early as age 4 years. This childhood form of ALS is linked to the gene SPTLC1 , that is part of the body's fat production system, and may be caused by changes in the way the body metabolizes fatty materials called lipids.

However, scientific evidence suggests that both genetics and environment play a role in motor neuron degeneration and the development of ALS. Since then, more than a dozen additional genetic mutations have been identified, many through NINDS-supported research. Research on certain gene mutations suggests that changes in the processing of RNA molecules may lead to ALS-related motor neuron degeneration.

Also, since many neurologic diseases cause similar symptoms, these other conditions must be ruled out first, through clinical examinations and medical tests. A comprehensive diagnostic workup includes most, if not all, of the following tests and procedures:.

Individula doctors will determine which of the above tests to conduct, usually based on the physical exam and the results of previous medical tests the patient has had. Currently there is no known cure or treatment that halts or reverses the progression of ALS. In addition, there are several promising clinical trials being conducted worldwide that are yielding important information on how to combat this disease. While the search for an effective treatment and cure continues, multidisciplinary teams across the globe are assisting patients and their families to adjust to the many challenges of living with ALS.

These teams of specialists use devices and therapies to help patients manage their ALS symptoms and to allow people with the disease to maintain their independence and quality of life.

This multidisciplinary approach has also been shown to prolong survival of people who have ALS. Many people with ALS and other neuromuscular diseases decide to take part in research studies to help test new medications and treatments aimed at treating the disease.

What is ALS? What are the symptoms of ALS? Who gets ALS? What causes ALS? Hawking was a physics student at the University of Cambridge when he was diagnosed with ALS also known as Lou Gehrig's disease in , and he was given just two years to live. The disease causes the progressive degeneration and death of the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements, including chewing, walking, talking and breathing, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke NINDS.

There is no cure for ALS, and the disease is eventually fatal. Although Hawking's cause of death has not been reported, his family said he died peacefully in his home, according to the BBC. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," Hawking's family said in a statement.