Can amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progress?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is also known as ALS. After the middle stage, the condition will change significantly, and many people will have muscle atrophy, and there will be limb paralysis, or weakness to walk. There may also be an uncontrolled muscle beating, and there may be difficulty breathing and swallowing, so it is necessary to seek medical attention promptly**.

1. Difficulty swallowing. In patients with intermediate stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the nervous system in the body is damaged, and the nerves around the throat are also damaged. In severe cases, this condition can compress the patient's trachea, causing the patient to experience symptoms of dysphagia.

2. Muscle atrophy. This symptom is also a common symptom in patients with mid-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is caused by damage to the patient's nerves, resulting in a large area of muscle and muscle tone loss. In severe cases, the muscles become weak, but as the disease progresses, the symptoms become more pronounced, and in severe cases, the patient loses the ability to take care of himself.

3. Obstruction of breathing. When patients in the middle stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are severely ill, they cause damage to the patient's brainstem neurons. Once the neuronal system of the brainstem is destroyed, the patient will have breathing obstruction, and in severe cases, he may lose the ability to speak, and can only rely on a respirator to maintain life.

**Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis** is still unknown. In 20% of cases, it may be related to heredity or genetic defects. In addition, some environmental factors, such as heavy metal poisoning, can cause motor neuron damage. The main theories of the causes of motor neuron damage are:

1.Neurotoxic substances accumulate and glutamate accumulates between nerve cells, causing damage to nerve cells over time.

2.Free radicals damage nerve cell membranes.

3.Nerve growth factor deficiency prevents nerve cells from growing and developing sustainably.

Clinical presentation. Early symptoms are mild and can be easily confused with other diseases. Patients may only feel some symptoms such as weakness, flesh jumping, and fatigue easily, and gradually progress to generalized muscle atrophy and difficulty swallowing. Respiratory failure develops.

According to the clinical symptoms, it can be roughly divided into two types:

1.Limb-onset type.

Symptoms begin with progressive atrophy and weakness of the muscles in the limbs, and finally respiratory failure.

2.Bulbar onset.

Difficulty swallowing and speaking begins with early progression, and respiratory failure soon progresses.

In order to diagnose amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at an early stage, in addition to the neurological clinical examination, electromyography, nerve conduction velocity testing, serum special antibody testing, lumbar puncture cerebrospinal fluid examination, imaging examination, and even muscle biopsy are also required.

Diagnosis. History and neurological examination.

The first important step in the diagnostic process is a clinical consultation with a neurologist. Collect a detailed history of present illness, family history, and work and environmental exposures. During the visit, the neurologist will look for typical findings of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis:

1) The examination should assess the strength of the chewing and swallowing muscles, including the mouth, tongue and throat muscles.

2) Lower motor neuron (LMN) function, such as muscle atrophy, muscle strength, or muscle beating (known as fasciculations).

and 3) upper motor neuron (UMN) function, such as tendon hyperreflexia and muscle spasms (degree of muscle tension and rigidity).

4) Emotional reactions are out of control, such as emotional changes such as crying or laughing. Changes in thinking, such as loss of judgment or loss of basic social skills. The examiner will also assess the patient's speech fluency and ability to recognize words. These symptoms are uncommon and not easily taken seriously.

5) The neurologist will also ask questions such as pain, sensory loss, or extrapyramidal problems.

The incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is not fully understood, and it is currently believed that 10%-20% of cases may be related to genetic factors, and 10% of cases are familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is partly clearly related to genetic factors. Of course, there are also some cases related to environmental factors, epidemiological investigations have shown that some cases are caused by heavy metal poisoning or the accumulation of neurotoxic substances, such as glutamate accumulation caused by long-term use of monosodium glutamate, causing damage between nerve cells may be one of the ** of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In addition, damage to cell membranes caused by free radicals may also cause degeneration and necrosis of nerve cells.

There is also a deficiency of nerve growth factor, which prevents nerve cells from continuing to grow. In conclusion, the nature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is not fully understood, and it is considered to be related to genetic and environmental factors. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosisFirst of all, the pathogenesis is not well understood, and it may be related to genetics and some genetic defects.

Secondly, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a disease in which upper and lower motor neurons are damaged, resulting in weakness and atrophy of the muscles of the ball, limbs, chest, and abdomen. It is recommended that such diseases can be examined in the neurology department of a regular hospital for relevant examinations, such as electromyography examination, and after a clear diagnosis, it can be targeted**.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a very serious disease, which brings great inconvenience to the patient's life. Understanding amyotrophic lateral sclerosis** can lead to the best outcomes for your patients.

There are five main aspects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis**:

1.Viral invasion.

Some viruses invade motor neurons and cause damage to them, leading to the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

2.Autoimmune diseases.

Some unknown factors will activate the body's immune response, and then fight against motor neurons, resulting in the death of a part of motor neurons, leading to the occurrence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

3.Genetic factors.

Genetic factors are a common form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis**.

4.Deficiency of neurotrophic or growth hormone.

The survival of motor neurons requires the maintenance of some hormones, and once these hormones are deficient, it can easily lead to the death of motor neurons.

5.Toxic substances.

Some toxic substances can also cause the death of motor neurons, such as lead.

What are the causes of muscle wasting? There are many associations of muscle atrophy and can be caused by a variety of underlying disorders and trauma.

Essential**. Genetic factors.

For example, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, also known as pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy, is a genetic disorder. Patients with this type of disease develop in adolescence and have difficulty rolling over, sitting up, and standing up. The disease is rare, there is no way to do it, and muscle atrophy will gradually worsen until death.

Neuropathy. It mainly refers to neurogenic amyotrophic atrophy, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral infarction, poliomyelitis, etc. Nerve lesions can cause nerve signaling disorders, which can lead to the disuse of some muscle fibers, reduced exercise capacity, and disuse muscle atrophy.

In addition, when neurons are damaged, the release of acetylcholine from their terminals decreases, and neurotrophic effects are weakened, resulting in muscle atrophy.

Trauma. When a fracture occurs, it may cause muscle atrophy in the affected area. On the one hand, during the fracture**, due to the long-term fixation of the affected limb and other reasons, the limb activity is reduced, and disuse muscle atrophy occurs.

On the other hand, a fracture may damage the surrounding nerves or cause compression of the spinal cord or nerves, and muscle atrophy may occur in the innervated area.

Other diseases. For example, cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, tumors, etc. can cause compression of the spinal cord and nerves in the corresponding parts, which may cause muscle atrophy;

Anorexia, malnutrition, Cushing's syndrome, hyperthyroidism, etc. can also cause muscle atrophy;

Inflammatory diseases, such as myositis, arthritis, and chronic infection can also cause muscle atrophy.

Predisposing factors. Certain lifestyle habits such as sitting for long periods of time and lack of muscle exercise can increase the risk of muscle wasting. Some long-term strenuous exercise, such as marathon, will cause muscle cell damage and death due to overuse of muscle cells, and eventually cause muscle atrophy.

1. Genetic factors.

In most cases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is genetically predisposed, and patients who have or have had the disease usually have a higher chance of developing the disease in the background. It is recommended that patients should do a good job of prenatal examination and prenatal diagnosis before giving birth to the next generation to better prevent the occurrence of the disease.

2. Unhealthy lifestyle.

An unhealthy lifestyle can lead to a decrease in the patient's immunity and resistance, and the body's functions will also be impaired, which may induce amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

3. Excessive physical labor and physical overdraft.

For manual workers, muscle wasting is likely to occur due to overuse of muscles, which increases the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

4. Metabolic abnormalities.

For patients with metabolic disorders, their immune system is compromised, and the muscles of the whole body are at greater risk of atrophy, which also increases the chance of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The above is the introduction of the factors that affect the appearance of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, patients with this disease usually have muscle weakness, general weakness, muscle atrophy, bulbar paralysis and other symptoms, if the disease is not controlled, there may be quadriplegia, weight loss, arrhythmia, dyspnea and other symptoms, not only seriously affect the patient's physical health, but also may affect the patient's mental health in the long run. However, since there is no definite ** for the time being, there is no ** method for the time being. Once the disease is suffered, the only way to delay the progression of the disease and reduce the impact of the disease on the patient can only be delayed through targeted measures.

There are various hypotheses about the pathogenesis and pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: genetic mechanisms, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, neurotrophic factor disorders, autoimmune mechanisms, viral infections, and environmental factors. Although the exact pathogenic mechanism is still unknown, it is currently well understood that oxidative stress damage and excitotoxic effects based on the genetic background jointly damage motor neurons, mainly affecting the structure and function of mitochondria and cytoskeleton.

Some data suggest that older men, a history of trauma, and excessive physical exertion may be risk factors for the disease.

The causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are mainly caused by bad lifestyle habits, such as long-term smoking and drinking. Second, long-term physical labor and frequent contact with organic solvents and pesticides can also cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Finally, genetic factors and metabolic diseases of the body, as well as abnormal autoimmune function, can also contribute to the formation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Once the patient suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the patient will have muscle weakness and muscle atrophy, and with the severity of the condition, the patient will also have fasciculations and dyspnea. It is recommended that patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis go to the hospital in time to clarify the specific cause for symptomatic treatment, which is conducive to the control of the condition and reduces the harm caused to the human body. It should be reminded that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a relatively serious disease, and there is no more effective method, and only drugs or other methods can be used to improve the quality of life of patients and delay the progression of the disease.

OverviewAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the gradual weakening and atrophy of muscles including the bulbar (the bulbar refers to the part of the muscle innervated by the medulla), limbs, trunk, chest, and abdomen after injury to the upper and lower motor neurons.

Visiting the department. Neurological clinical signs.

Progressively worsening generalized muscle atrophy and dysphagia.

Major hazards. It not only affects normal exercise, but also affects the respiratory and digestive systems, resulting in death.

Dietary advice. Focus on increasing nutrition, enhancing physical fitness, and avoiding smoking and alcohol.

Lateral sclerosis is a motor neuron disease that primarily affects upper motor neurons and lower motor neurons, resulting in weakness and atrophy of the trunk, limbs, and head and face muscles innervated. Although amyotrophic lateral sclerosis can occur in people of any age, it is more common in middle-aged and older adults. In addition, men have a slightly higher risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis than women.

The pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis** is still unclear and is mainly related to the following mechanisms: genetic mechanisms, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, neurotrophic factor disorders, autoimmune mechanisms, viral infections, and environmental factors. The clinical manifestation is a gradual loss of exercise capacity.

Weakness in the limbs, difficulty speaking, eating, swallowing, and breathing gradually develop. It can cause other intercurrent morbidities and eventually death. Although amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is an incurable disease, actively** can delay the disease and improve quality of life.