Taryn+M.

Lou Gehrig's Disease is a disorder that is also known as ASL(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). It damages motor neutrons in the brain and spinal cord. Eventually the body becomes paralyzed. Most nerves are not affected by ALS like the nerves that help you see, hear, feel and smell. Some parts of the brain that let us think, remember and learn things are not affected by this. Eventually people with ALS will not be able to stand or walk, get in or out of bed on their own, or use their hands and arms. Later on, people have difficulty breathing as the muscles of the respiratory system weaken. Inheritance ASL is autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive. Lou Gehrig's Disease is caused by mutated genes in DNA. There are two types of ALS, they are... Sporadic ALS “out of the blue”- the most common form of ALS- 90 to 95% of all cases. Familial ALS “family history”- occurring more than once in a family and accounts for 5 to 10% of all cases. The cause is unclear and no cure exists for Lou Gehrig's Disease. 10 percent of ALS is inherited 90 percent of the cases appear in people with no family history. Diagnostic ALS is hard to diagnose because symptoms such as muscle weakness are common in other diseases and as of now, there is no diagnostic test for the disease. About 14 cases of ALS are diagnosed each day nationwide. Most who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, many teenagers are also attacked with this disease although, ALS occurs in greater percentages as men and women grow older. It was believed that men developed it more frequently than women. Today both sexes are affected in nearly equal numbers. Lou Gehrig's Disease is diagnosed by lab tests, muscle and/or nerve biopsy, cerebral spinal fluid analysis (spinal tap) and X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electro diagnostic tests   Common Lifetime of an ASL Victim The average expected lifetime for those suffering from ALS is three to five years. Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure. Almost 10 percent of those individuals with ALS survive for 10 or more years. <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> ALS may affect anyone, anywhere at any time.
 * First diagnosed in 1939, Lou Gehrig, a famous baseball player at the time had it, they named it after him. He died of it in 1941<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
 * Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with the disease, he lived with it for many decades.<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">

30,000 people are living with ALS worldwide. <span style="display: block; font-size: 150%; color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; background-color: #000080; text-align: center;">Cures/ Treatments <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Symptoms can’t be detected before symptoms occur and it can’t be detected prenatally.

There is no carrier state for ALS.

ALS cannot be cured, only treated.<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 150%; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; background-color: #ffff00; text-align: center;">Ways to find a Cause <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">The National Institute of Neurological Disorders    <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">and Stroke conducts research in its laboratories at the National Institutes of Health. They support additional research through grants to major medical institutions across the country. The goals of this research are to find the cause or causes of ALS. The goal is also to understand the mechanisms involved in the progression of the disease, and develop effective treatments.

<span style="display: block; font-size: 150%; color: #ed82eb; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; background-color: #00ffff; text-align: center;">Support Groups <span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> __**Bellevue Caregivers Support Group**__ <span style="display: block; font-size: 150%; color: #00ffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; background-color: #800080; text-align: center;">Resources [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
 * __<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Bellingham Support Group __**<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">
 * __<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Bellevue Support Group __**<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">

<span style="font-size: 140%; color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; background-color: #c0c0c0;">Videos of ALS media type="custom" key="3626903"media type="custom" key="3626937"