Amyotrophic Lateral Screlosis or more popularly known today as ALS disease (thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge fever), according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, "is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles". Also termed as Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS has symptoms that are often unnoticed or ignored because they are subtle.
Early but most often overlooked symptoms are consist of tight and stiff muscles, cramps, slurred and nasal speech, muscle weakness that affects the arm or leg, and difficulty in swallowing. These progresses into more apparent weakness that therefore makes a healthcare professional to suspect the patient of suffering from ALS.
More evident ALS symptoms, according to the website of Health-Share.org, are weakness and fatigue, struggles in swallowing, weight loss, reduced use of arms and legs, shortness of breath, and 'thick' speech.
Who are most at risk of ALS disease? Mayo Clinic said that ALS risk factors include age, heredity, and sex:
- Age - It is common for people between the ages of 40 and 60 to be burdened with ALS.
- Heredity - Five to 10 percent of persons with ALS have familial ALS. These people with familial ALS may risk their children to 50% chances of having the disease.
- Sex - Men are more likely to suffer from ALS than women when they reach the age of 65. This 'sex' risk factor vanishes after age 70.
There's no doubt that with the celebrities doing the Ice Bucket Challenge to support ALS Association and the social phenomenon that it created, awareness on ALS disease has been raised. It therefore encouraged a lot of people not only to drench themselves with ice water but to also donate.
Organization president and CEO Barbara J. Newhouse said that "The ALS Association is extremely grateful for the generosity of these donors, and for the actions of several people who initiated and spread this incredible viral effort. Never before have we been in a better position to fuel our fight against this disease. Increased awareness and unprecedented financial support will enable us to think outside the box. We will be able to strategize about efforts in ways that previously would not have been possible, all while we work to fulfill and enhance our existing mission priorities nationwide."
