Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, is described by the National Institutes of Health as a degenerative disease where motor neurons die. Motor neurons are cells within the nervous system that send messages to the body telling muscles when and how to move. Damage and death of these neurons cause symptoms of ALS. MayoClinic.com reports that one to three people in 100,000 will be diagnosed with ALS in the United States yearly. With no known cure for ALS, death usually occurs two to five years after diagnosis.
Muscle Weakness and Wasting
Because of damaged neurons, muscles do not receive signals to move, and this leads to muscle weakness. The National Institutes of Health reports that many times arms or legs are affected by muscle weakness first, though any part of the body can be affected initially. Falling, tripping and dropping things are early signs of the disease. As the disease progresses, the muscles become paralyzed. Muscles that are not used become smaller. This is known as muscle atrophy or muscle wasting.
Muscle Spasms
The ALS Association lists muscle spasms as a known symptom of ALS. Muscles may feel tight, stiff or contracted. Muscles also twitch or spasm uncontrollably due to faulty signals from the neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Muscles that commonly experience twitching or spasms include leg, arm, facial and tongue muscles.
Speech and Swallowing Problems
Muscles of the tongue, face and throat eventually give in to weakness. Speech problems typically occur before problems with swallowing. The ALS Association states that speech sounds thick and that speaking loudly is problematic. Slurred or nasal sounding speech also occurs. Eventually patients with ALS become unable to speak. Swallowing problems typically occur later in the disease and may be sudden. Swallowing food and drink becomes impossible in the late stages of ALS, and the risk of choking or inhaling food is high.
Breathing Difficulties
Muscles that control breathing, including the diaphragm, become too weak to support lung movement. Shortness of breath usually plagues patients in the late stages of ALS. Progressive weakness of the muscles eventually requires machines that help force air into the lungs to prevent suffocation. Other breathing difficulties arise, however, due to excess secretions of sputum in the lungs and infection.
