Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Central nervous system

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Definition:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a disease of the motor nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It causes progressive loss of motor control.

Alternative Names:

Lou Gehrig's disease; ALS

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is characterized by progressive loss of motor nerves in the spinal cord and brain. In about 10% of cases, ALS is caused by a genetic defect. In other cases, the cause of the nerve deterioration is unknown.

ALS affects approximately 1 out of every 100,000 people.

Except for having a family member affected with the hereditary form of the disease, there are no known risk factors.

Review Date: 7/2/2004
Reviewed By: Joseph V. Campellone, M.D., Division of Neurology, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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