AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL

SCLEROSIS
 AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS

• Is a progressive nervous system (neurological)

disease that destroy nerve cells and causes
disability.
• It is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the
famous baseball player was diagnosed with it.
• Type of motor neuron disease in which nerve cells
gradually breakdown and die.
 RISK FACTORS

• Sex: More men than women

• Heredity: 5 to 10% of the people with ALS inherited.
In most people with family of ALS, their children
have 50-50 chance of developing the disease.
• Age: 40 to 60 y/o
 PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

• In ALS, motor neuron located in in the anterior horns

of the spinal column and motor nuclei located in
the lower brain stem die. As they die, the muscles
they served begin to atrophy. The loss of the motor
neurons may occur in upper and lower motor
neuron system. Signs and symptoms vary according
to the motor neurons affected because specific
neurons activate specific muscle fibers.
 SIGN AND SYMPTOMS

• Muscle cramps and twitching in the arms, and

shoulders
• Tripping and falling
• Impaired speech
• Difficulty swallowing and chewing
• Difficulty breathing
• Depression
• Choking
• Excessive drooling
• Weakness in the leg, feet and ankles
• Difficulty holding head up or keeping good posture.
 DIAGNOSTIC TEST

• Electromyography
• Muscle biopsy
 MEDICATIONS

• Riluzole (Rilutek)
 slow disease’s progression in some people
 reducing levels of a chemical messenger in the brain
(glutamate– often present in people with higher level of ALS
)

 Side effects:
 Dizziness
 Gastrointestinal conditions
 Liver function changes
 MANAGEMENT

• Implement a rehabilitation program that maintains

as much independence for the patient for as long
as possible.
• Help the patient obtain equipment that will help
him move about, such as walker or a wheel chair.
• Arrange for a visiting nurse to oversee home care
and provide ongoing support, and to teach the
family about illness.
• Help with bathing, personal hygiene and transfer
from wheel chair to bed, as needed.
• Encourage a regular bowel and bladder routine.
• Provide meticulous skin care if the patient is bed
ridden, to prevent skin breakdown.
• Turn him often, keep his skin clean and dry and use
pressure relieving devices to preserve skin integrity.
• Give him soft and solid foods, and position him
upright during meals.
• Provide the patient and family with information on
support groups.
 COMPLICATIONS

• Breathing problems
• Speaking problems
• Eating problems
• Dementia
 REFERENCE

• Mayo Clinic Staff. (2017). Amyotrophic Lateral

Sclerosis. Retrieved from Mayo Clinic .
• Wolkers Kluwer. (2012). Medical-Surgical Nursing:
Made Incredibly Easy. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.