Re: CMT, MS,MD, what's the difference

[Guest guest]

,

ALS has two meanings. One meaning of ALS refers to several adult

diseases characterized by progressive degeneration of motor neurons.

(In the UK, the term " motor neuron disease " is used for these

disorders.)

The second meaning of ALS refers to a specific form of motor neuron

disease in which there are both upper and lower motor neuron signs.

ALS is a progressive chronic diseases of the nerves that come from

the spinal cord and supply electrical stimulation to the muscles.

This stimulation is necessary for the movement of body parts.

Unlike some types of CMT that start in babies or young people, ALS

strikes in mid-life, most often in the fifth through seventh decades

of life. 50-70. Men are about one-and-a-half times more likely to

have the disease as women.

In ALS specific nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control

voluntary movement gradually degenerate. The loss of these motor

neurons causes the muscles under their control to weaken and waste

away, leading to paralysis. ALS affects not only feet, legs, arms and

hands, but the lungs, the heart, kidneys, digestion, swallowing,

speech, persistent fatigue, severe cramping and twitching.

ALS is not only progressive, but also fatal. The usual causes of

death of patients with motor neuron diseases are not directly related

to the disease, but result from simultaneous additional illnesses

which ultimately occur because of weakness of the body. These

illnesses are often infections like pneumonia. ALS usually leads to

death within 5 years of the time the diagnosis of ALS is made; the

range is from 2 to 7 years.

So ALS is very different from CMT.

Gretchen