ALS Information

The following information and more can be found at: http://www.alsmn.org/

What is ALS?
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive fatal neuro-degenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons extend from the brain to the spinal cord and to muscles throughout the body. When these motor neurons die, as with ALS, the ability of the brain to start and control muscle movement dies with them. With all voluntary muscle action affected, people with ALS become gradually paralyzed, usually losing their speech and swallowing abilities and eventually their ability to breathe. In most cases, the disease is fatal in less than five years following diagnosis. Through the course of the disease, peoples' minds remain acute and unaffected. There is no known cause, treatment or cure for ALS. ALS is not contagious and in 90-95% of the cases, it is not genetically inherited. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries. Over 5,000 people in the US (100 in Minnesota alone) are newly diagnosed with ALS each year. It afflicts healthy men and women in the prime of their lives. As one might expect, families experience extraordinary stress coping with the degenerative and fatal nature of the disease. In addition, necessary equipment and medical care for an ALS patient are quite expensive and can deplete a family's resources in a short time.

Other Links:

http://www.alsa.org/

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