Posted: 09/14/06 - 23:00 Post subject: symptoms of bulbar ALS?
Hi, my sister was diagnosed with bulbar ALS. She is losing her speaking and swallowing abilities, we are so worried about her. What are causes and symptoms of bulbar ALS?
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is neuromuscular disease, more commonly known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease" and is characterized by degeneration of motor neurons. Motor neurons are in charge for the movement of voluntary muscles, they connect the brain with the spinal cord and the spinal cord with the muscles throughout the body. As the motor neurons die, the muscles cells stay paralyzed. Symptoms of ALS are speaking or swallowing problems, known as Bulbar ALS.There is sudden weight loss, and should consider starting with a feeding tube in the earlier phases of the disease. For those who are not able to speak, there are many communication aids on the market. In two to five years from the first appearance of the symptoms ALS ends fatally. Problems with speech and swallowing may lead to loss of weight, and aspiration pneumonia.
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