Treatment
There is no cure for EMS and the disease is fatal, but the disease progresses at different rates in patients.
People with MND are expected to live two to five years after the symptoms first appear, although 10 percent of sufferers live at least ten years.
History
The NHS describes motor neurone disease (MND) as: An unusual condition that affects the brain and nerves. It causes weakness that worsens over time. ‘
The weakness is caused by the deterioration of motor neurons, upper motor neurons moving from the brain through the spinal cord, and lower motor neurons spreading to the face, throat and limbs.
It was first discovered in 1865 by a French neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot, and therefore MND is sometimes known as Charcot’s disease.
In the United Kingdom, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is referred to as Motor Neurone Disease, while in the United States, ALS is referred to as a specific subset of MND, which is defined as a group of neurological disorders.
According to Oxford University Hospitals: ‘Nearly 90 percent of patients with MND have the mixed ALS form of the disease, so the terms MND and ALS usually mean the same thing.’
Symptoms
Weakness in the ankle or leg, which can manifest with obstacles or difficulty climbing stairs, and a weakness in the ability to grasp things.
Slack speech is an early symptom and can be exacerbated later by including difficulty swallowing food.
Muscle cramps or twitching are also a symptom, as well as weight loss due to leg and arm muscles becoming thinner over time.
Diagnosis
EMS is difficult to diagnose in the early stages because several conditions can cause similar symptoms. No test was used to determine if it was present.
However, the disease is usually diagnosed through a process of exclusion, thereby excluding diseases that show similar symptoms to ALS.
Causes
The NHS says that EMS is an ‘unusual condition’ that mainly affects older people. However, it can affect adults of any age.
The NHS says that ‘it is not yet known why’ the disease occurs. The ALS Association says that EMS occurs around the world ‘without racial, ethnic or socio-economic boundaries and can affect anyone’.
It says that war veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS and that men are 20 percent more likely to get it.
Lou Gehrig was one of the leading stars of baseball while playing for the Yankees between 1923 and 1939. He was known as ‘The Iron Horse’ in 2,130 consecutive games. The record was set in 1995 by Cal Ripken Jr.
Lou Gehrig’s illness
In addition to being called ALS and Charcot’s disease, MND is also frequently called Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Lou Gehrig was a very popular baseball player who played for the New York Yankees between 1923 and 1939.
He was known for his power and was nicknamed ‘The Iron Horse’.
His strength, popularity and fame surpassed the baseball sport, and the condition took the name of the sportsman.
He died two years after his diagnosis.