5 Things You Must Know About ALS
ALS commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s is a neurodegenerative disease for which there is currently no cure. The month of May has been called the ALS month to spread more information about the disease and also help people who are living with the disease. There is still no cure for this disease and there are also a lot of misconceptions about this disease which leads to a lot of problems for people suffering from this disease. Here are a few things you must know about ALS.
1. What is ALS
ALS or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease where the nerve cells in the brain are affected. ALS causes progressive degeneration of the motor neurons that run between the brain and the spinal cord. As the motor neurons die, the brain can no longer transmit signals to the muscles and as a result patients in the later stage of the disease get completely paralyzed.
2. It is not a contagious disease
Although the exact cause for ALS has not been found out, one thing is for sure; ALS is not contagious and one does not get ALS by spending a lot of time in close proximity with the patient.
3. Approximately every two people out of 100,000 people are affected
Every year in the US, 5600 people are diagnosed with ALS, which means there are two people for every 100,000 who get this disease. Although the number may seem small, this is a serious condition that needs a cure immediately.
