ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known
as Lou Gehrig's Disease) is a degenerative disease
of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord.
It starts very slowly and innocently, sometimes
with the slightest weakness in a hand or a foot,
or with muscle twitching. Unfortunately, unlike
more benign conditions that all of us experience
from time to time, ALS continues to progress.
The weakness and the twitching spread to involve
more muscles, eventually those that control speech
and swallowing. Over time, the disease gradually
robs the bearer of independence. The lifespan
is shortened, usually to 2-5 years from diagnosis.
The cause of disease in most patients is not known.
Dear Patients with
ALS (PALS),
The ALS Research Group is interested in your
thoughts about our ALS clinics and the research
studies we offer there. Thanks for taking the
time to complete this very brief survey. It
should
take about 20 minutes to complete. We hope this
will improve what we can offer you in our
clinics.
