History of discovery of Lou Gehrig's disease

In the United States, ALS also is called Lou Gehrig’s disease, named for the Yankees baseball player who died of it in 1941. In Britain and elsewhere in the world, ALS is often called motor neuron disease in reference to the cells (motor neurons) that degenerate in this disorder.

Lou Gehrig signed with the New York Yankees in 1923 and in June 1925 began a streak of 2,130 consecutive games that ended only when he became weak 14 years later.

First described in 1869 by French clinician Jean-Martin Charcot, ALS is a misunderstood illness. Doctors once thought it was rare but now consider it fairly common: about 5,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS every year.

The word “amyotrophic” comes from Greek roots that mean “without nourishment to muscles” and refers to the loss of signals nerve cells normally send to muscle cells. “Lateral” signifies the area of the spinal cord where portions of the dying nerve cells are located. “Sclerosis” means “hardened” and refers to the hardened nature of the spinal cord in advanced ALS.

The first description of multiple sclerosis dates back to the 14th century, but it was Jean-Martin Charcot and the use of the anatomoclinical method that made the first correlations between the clinical features of multiple sclerosis and the pathological changes noted post-mortem.

He described several cases of isolated progressive motor symptoms, with fasciculation, rigidity, contractures, bulbar involvement and death from respiratory failure. Charcot called this disease primary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and correctly identified the dysfunction of anterior horn cells as the pathology underlying the clinical features.

Charcot described and diagnosed the first cases of ALS as a specific neurological disease associated with a distinct pathology. Studies conducted between 1865 to 1869 by Charcot and his colleague Joffroy found that lesions within the lateral column in the spinal cord resulted in chronic progressive paralysis and contractures (no atrophy of muscles), while lesions of the anterior horn of the spinal cord resulted in paralysis without contractures (with atrophy of muscles).

Charcot's work on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis brought together neurological entities formerly considered as disparate disorders, primary amyotrophy and primary lateral sclerosis. In addition, these studies contributed to the understanding of spinal cord and brain stem anatomy and the organization of the normal nervous system.
History of discovery of Lou Gehrig's disease

ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease

The official name of the illness is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but in the U.S. it is better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named for the Yankees baseball player who died of it in 1941.

He died from the progressive neuromuscular disorder, which attacks nerve cells that lead from the brain and the spinal cord to muscles throughout the body.

The word “amyotrophic” comes from Greek roots that mean “without nourishment to muscles” and refers to the loss of signals nerve cells normally send to muscle cells. “Lateral” means “to the side” and refers to the location of the damage in the spinal cord. “Sclerosis” means “hardened” and refers to the hardened nature of the spinal cord in advanced ALS.

The disease is a rare neurological disease that affects nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. Voluntary muscles produce movements like chewing, walking, breathing and talking. It involves degeneration of the nerves that control muscles causing progressive paralysis and wasting.

Familial ALS is a particular form of the disease that is inherited, but only about 5 to 10 percent of all patients fall into this category. The other 90 to 95 percent of the time, it is “sporadic” (that is, there is no family history of the disease).

Often cramps are the first sign of the disorder. Weakness and wasting of the arms, legs, and hands develop over months. Symptoms typically include twitching, stiffness, muscle cramps, difficulty twisting or turning a key and so the patient may think perhaps this is arthritis.

Other well-known people who suffered from ALS include British actor David Niven, Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich and Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease

What are the symptoms of Lou Gehrig’s disease?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease is a rare neurological disease that affects nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. ALS was first described in 1869 by Jean-Martin Charcot. Lou Gehrig first brought national and international attention to the disease when he abruptly retired from baseball in 1939.

In ALS, nerve cells that control muscle cells gradually die. In most cases, the cause is unknown. As these motor neurons die, the muscles they control become weak and then nonfunctional. ALS usually strikes in late middle age (the average age of onset in the United States and Europe is between 56 and 63) or later, although ALS also affects younger adults and even children, as well as very elderly people.

Among early symptoms
*Difficulty walking or doing normal daily activities.
*Tripping and falling.
*Weakness in of leg, feet or ankles.
*Hand weakness or clumsiness.
*Slurred and nasal speech.
*Fasciculations (muscle twitches) in the arm, leg, shoulder, or tongue.
*Inappropriate crying, laughing or yawning

Progressive muscle weakness may hinder the normal activities of daily living from lifting to swallowing.

Individuals with ALS usually have difficulty swallowing and chewing food, which makes it hard to eat normally and increases the risk of choking. They also burn calories at a faster rate than most people without ALS. Due to these factors, people with ALS tend to lose weight rapidly and can become malnourished.

Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure, usually within 3 to 5 years from when the symptoms first appear.

What are the symptoms of Lou Gehrig’s disease?