SLIDE 1 INTRODUCTION.
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ALS was first described by Jean-Martin Charcot, A French professor and is known the father of French neurology and one of the world’s pioneers of neurology
Lou Gehrig was known as one of baseball’s greatest players. He was known as the “iron horse” for playing 2130 consecutive games. His streak was ended after he developed muscle weakness because of ALS.
The brain sends messages via the motor neurons to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The degeneration of the motor neurons from ALS leads eventually to their neurons death. After these neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control the muscle is lost. Voluntary muscle action is progressively affected, individuals in their later stages of the disease soon become totally paralyzed.
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ALS is estimated to kill two people per 100,000 population annually.
For every 100,000 people two people will be diagnosed each year with 5,600 new diagnosed yearly. 30,000 Americans are to be suspected to have the disease at any given time.
The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages about two to five years from the time of diagnosis, this disease is variable and many people live with quality for five years and more. More than half of all patients live more than three years after diagnosis.
There are people that have ALS that the disease stopped progressing and only a few number of people that the symptoms of reserved
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With 15 new cases of ALS diagnosed daily, the ALS CARE Database of 30,000 is made 60% up of men which 93% of all patients are Caucasian.
Most people who develop are in the 40-70 age range with the average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis, however people in their twenties and thirties also are diagnosed.
ALS is 20% more common in men than in women but with increasing age, ALS is more equal between men and women
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There is no one test or procedure to positively diagnosis ALS. Through clinical examination and series of diagnostic tests, this can rule out other diseases that mimic ALS
Electo diagnostics such as electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction velocity (NVC) are currently being used to try and diagnosing ALS.
Blood and Urine tests such as checking high resolution serum protein electrophoresis, thyroid and parathyroid hormone levels and 24-hour urine collection for heavy metals
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Read off the slide at a interval. This slide does not require additional information, it is already to the point.
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The most common form of ALS in the United States is “sporadic” ALS. This category can affect anyone, anywhere.
“Familial” ALS (FALS) means the disease is inherited. Only about 5 to 10% of all ALS patients appear to have genetic or inherited form of ALS.
In these families, there is a 50% chance each offspring will inherit the gene mutation and may develop the disease.
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Prenatal genetic testing technology for FALS mutations exist when there is a known mutation within the family
The test is a blood sample taken and sent to a specialized lab, the test takes two to three months and 300-500 per and 4000 for a panel which is multiple tests at one time.
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WHERE TO DONATE
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QUESTIONS?
