Which neurologic disorder is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig disease?

Which neurologic disorder is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig disease?

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neuromuscular disease. ALS is characterized by a progressive degeneration of motor nerve cells in the brain (upper motor neurons) and spinal cord (lower motor neurons).

How is Lou Gehrig’s disease diagnosed?

These typically include an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the neck, and sometimes of the head and lower spine, an EMG (electromyography) which tests nerve conduction, and a series of blood tests. Sometimes urine tests, genetic tests, or a lumbar puncture (also called a spinal tap) are also necessary.

Does an MRI show ALS?

Scans. Scans such as magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, can’t directly diagnose ALS. That’s because people with the condition have normal MRI scans. But they are often used to rule out other diseases.

What can mimic ALS?

A number of disorders may mimic ALS; examples include:

• Myasthenia gravis.
• Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome.
• Lyme disease.
• Poliomyelitis and post-poliomyelitis.
• Heavy metal intoxication.
• Kennedy syndrome.
• Adult-onset Tay-Sachs disease.
• Hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Does ALS show up on MRI?

Preliminary studies suggest that MRI may help identify signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) earlier, but larger studies conducted over a longer time are needed. ALS is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle wasting and eventual death.

Does ALS show up in bloodwork?

Blood test: Blood tests can look for early signs of ALS and rule out other conditions.

What is the tongue test for ALS?

New research indicates that bulbar disease may be detected in its early stages in individuals affected by ALS. Bulbar testing is conducted by examining the tongue movement and control during speech, specifically strength, range and speed of movement.

Does ALS start abruptly?

As I have mentioned before, ALS does not start abruptly. Consider Lou Gehrig. At first he never dreamed he had a disease. That’s the same problem all of our patients face.

Do Early symptoms of ALS come and go?

With ALS, you may first have weakness in a limb that occurs over a few days or, more often, a few weeks. Then a few weeks or months later, weakness develops in another limb. For other people, the first sign of a problem may be slurred speech or trouble swallowing. As ALS progresses, more and more symptoms are noticed.

What blood test shows ALS?

There are no specific tests to diagnose amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To make a diagnosis, a doctor will perform tests to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms and indicate changes that are consistent with ALS.