Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

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For every hundred thousand people in the United States there are 3.9 instances of ALS, and this means that there are currently over twelve thousand cases. Considering all neuromuscular diseases on a global scale, ALS is one of the most commonly occurring diseases (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). According to NIH ninety to ninety-five percent of all occurrences of ALS are random with no familial history of the disease. If a parent has been diagnosed with ALS or is a carrier there is a five to ten percent chance of inheriting ALS. In the case of familial inheritance, scientists have identified at least twelve genes that are capable of mutating to cause ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). ALS is known to affect people of all races and backgrounds,…show more content…
Dysarthria, which is a motor speech disorder, is common among ALS patients. More specifically, flaccid dysarthria and spastic dysarthria co-exist in many ALS cases. Flaccid dysarthria is caused by lesions on the muscles in the mouth and throat, or bulbar muscles, and damage to the lower motor neurons. These lesions cause speech to be overly nasal and breathy. Spastic dysarthria is caused by the inhibition of the upper motor neurons, specifically lesions on the corticobulbar tracts. Characteristics of spastic dysarthria include speech that sounds strained and a slow production rate (Bahtnagar, 2013, p.…show more content…
According to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALSA), as many as fifty percent of those with ALS experience no changes in their cognition or behavior. This being said, the other fifty percent may experience a change in their cognition and behavior, and as many as twenty-five percent will develop dementia. For those with affected cognition some might need assistance with making decisions, while others will have to rely completely on others to make decisions for them. ALSA provided these examples of symptoms related to changes in cognition: losing or ignoring the ability to “think before you speak”, commonly referred to as a “filter”; having trouble following directions; saying meaningful sentences; and behavior becomes childlike or uncharacteristic of that person (Rush,
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