Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive disease that causes irreversible loss of motor nerve cells (neurons) located in the brain, brain stem and spinal cord that control muscles. It is thought that there are around 6000 to 8000 ALS patients in total in Turkey, and the number of newly diagnosed patients each year varies between 1500 and 3000. While there is genetic transmission in 5-10% of the disease, it is not known which cause or reasons lead to the disease in the remaining patients, and it is thought that genetic and environmental factors interact and cause this complex process.
While clinical findings begin between the ages of 50-65, the disease is seen slightly more frequently in men than in women. Although the initial symptoms vary from patient to patient, the first symptom is almost always weakness. Common symptoms are muscle twitches and cramps in different parts of the body, difficulty in walking and falls, difficulty in daily living activities, difficulty in using cutlery, writing, and climbing stairs due to progressive effects on fine dexterity. In the advanced stages of the disease, speech and swallowing difficulties, chewing difficulties, feeding difficulties, shortness of breath, and air hunger can be seen. These latter findings may also be the initial complaints of some patients, rarely. In addition to weakness in the affected muscles, muscle wasting due to loss of muscle volume is added.
The diagnosis of the disease is made based on the patient's history, physical and neurological examination findings. Ancillary laboratory tests are helpful in supporting the diagnosis. Electroneuromyography (ENMG) examination, in which the functions of nerves and muscles are evaluated, is the most useful auxiliary diagnostic method used in the diagnosis of ALS, and it is a rapid information acquisition method that can be repeated at intervals in large muscle groups. In addition, some blood tests, Magnetic Resonance Imaging studies of the brain and spinal cord are other tests performed. In addition, ALS genetics can be studied in our country.
Although there are drugs that slow the progression of the disease and prolong life, unfortunately, there is no definitive cure for ALS yet. Different scientists from all over the world continue to work intensively on new drugs. Making ALS patients as comfortable as possible, taking precautions to maintain their normal lives, closely monitoring their respiratory functions and nutritional status, and protecting their communication with the environment and physical activities as much as possible significantly increase both the quality of life and the life span of the patients. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) brain, It is a progressive disease that causes irreversible loss of motor nerve cells (neurons) located in the brain stem and spinal cord and controlling the muscles. It is thought that there are around 6000 to 8000 ALS patients in total in Turkey, and the number of newly diagnosed patients each year varies between 1500 and 3000. While there is genetic transmission in 5-10% of the disease, it is not known which cause or reasons lead to the disease in the remaining patients, and it is thought that genetic and environmental factors interact and cause this complex process.
While clinical findings begin between the ages of 50-65, the disease is seen slightly more frequently in men than in women. Although the initial symptoms vary from patient to patient, the first symptom is almost always weakness. Common symptoms are muscle twitches and cramps in different parts of the body, difficulty in walking and falls, difficulty in daily living activities, difficulty in using cutlery, writing, and climbing stairs due to progressive effects on fine dexterity. In the advanced stages of the disease, speech and swallowing difficulties, chewing difficulties, feeding difficulties, shortness of breath, and air hunger can be seen. These latter findings may also be the initial complaints of some patients, rarely. In addition to weakness in the affected muscles, muscle wasting due to loss of muscle volume is added.
The diagnosis of the disease is made based on the patient's history, physical and neurological examination findings. Ancillary laboratory tests are helpful in supporting the diagnosis. Electroneuromyography (ENMG) examination, in which the functions of nerves and muscles are evaluated, is the most useful auxiliary diagnostic method used in the diagnosis of ALS, and it is a rapid information acquisition method that can be repeated at intervals in large muscle groups. In addition, some blood tests, Magnetic Resonance Imaging studies of the brain and spinal cord are other tests performed. In addition, ALS genetics can be studied in our country.
Although there are drugs that slow the progression of the disease and prolong life, unfortunately, there is no definitive cure for ALS yet. Different scientists from all over the world continue to work intensively on new drugs. Making ALS patients as comfortable as possible, taking precautions to maintain their normal lives, respiratory functions, nutrition
Close monitoring of their condition, protecting their communication with the environment and physical activities as much as possible significantly increases both the quality of life and the life span of the patients.