Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Important
It is possible that the main title of the report Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report.

Synonyms

ALS
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Polyglucosan Bodies
Aran-Duchenne Muscular Atrophy
Gehrig's Disease
Lou Gehrig's Disease
Motor System Disease (Focal and Slow)

Disorder Subdivisions

Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Type ALS
Juvenile Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Included
Progressive Bulbar Palsy, Included
Benign Focal Amyotrophy of ALS
Upper Motor Neuron Disease
Werdnig-Hoffman Disease
Wohlfart-Disease
Primary Lateral Sclerosis
Infantile Spinal Muscular Atrophy, ALS
Kugelberg-Welander Disease

General Discussion

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is one of a group of disorders known as motor neuron diseases. It is characterized by the progressive degeneration and eventual death of nerve cells (motor neurons) in the brain, brainstem and spinal cord that facilitate communication between the nervous system and voluntary muscles of the body. Ordinarily, motor neurons in the brain (upper motor neurons) sent messages to motor neurons in the spinal cord (lower motor neurons) and then to various muscles. ALS affects both the upper and lower motor neurons, so that the transmission of messages is interrupted, and muscles gradually weaken and waste away. As a result, the ability to initiate and control voluntary movement is lost. Ultimately, ALS leads to respiratory failure because affected individuals lose the ability to control muscles in the chest and diaphragm. ALS is often called Lou Gehrig's disease.

Resources

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association
27001 Agoura Road
Suite 150
Calabasas Hills, CA 91301-5104
USA
Tel: (818)880-9007
Fax: (818)880-9006
Tel: (800)782-4747
TDD: (818)593-3540
Email: als@alsa-national.org
Internet: http://www.alsa.org

Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy
925 Busse Road
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Tel: (847)367-7620
Fax: (847)367-7623
Tel: (800)886-1762
Email: sma@fsma.org
Internet: http://www.curesma.com

Muscular Dystrophy Association
3300 E. Sunrise Dr
Tucson, AZ 85718
USA
Tel: (520)529-2000
Fax: (520)529-5300
Tel: (800)572-1717
Email: mda@mdausa.org
Internet: http://www.mda.org/

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
P.O. Box 5801
Bethesda, MD 20824
Tel: (301)496-5751
Fax: (301)402-2186
Tel: (800)352-9424
TDD: (301)468-5981
Email: me20t@nih.gov
Internet: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/

Les Turner Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Foundation, Ltd.
5550 W. Touhy Avenue, Suite 302
Skokie, IL 60077-3254
Tel: (847)679-3311
Fax: (847)679-9109
Tel: (888)257-1107
Email: info@lesturnerals.org
Internet: http://www.lesturnerals.org

International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations
P.O. Box 246
Northampton, NN1 2PR
United Kingdom
Email: alliance@alsmndalliance.org
Internet: http://www.alsmndalliance.org/

ALS Society of Ontario
3100 Steeles Ave E, Suite 402
Markham
Ontario, Intl L3R 8T3
Canada
Tel: 905-248-2101
Fax: 905-248-5620
Tel: 866-611-8545
Email: info@alsont.ca
Internet: http://www.alsont.ca

Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association
76 Firhill Rd
Glasgow, Intl G20 7BA
Scotland
Tel: 01419451077
Fax: 01419452578
Email: info@scotmnd.co.uk
Internet: http://www.scotmnd.org.uk

Spastic Paraplegia Foundation
212 Farm Rd
Woburn, MA Sherborn
USA
Tel: (877)773-4483
Email: info@sp-foundation.org
Internet: http://sp-foundation.org

MUMS National Parent-to-Parent Network
150 Custer Court
Green Bay, WI 54301-1243
USA
Tel: (920)336-5333
Fax: (920)339-0995
Tel: (877)336-5333
Email: mums@netnet.net
Internet: http://www.netnet.net/mums/

Stem Cell Research Foundation
22512 Gateway Center Drive
Clarksburg, MD 20871
USA
Tel: (877)842-3442
Email: info@stemcellresearchfoundation.org
Internet: http://www.stemcellresearchfoundation.org

Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
636 Morris Turnpike, Suite 3A
Short Hills, NJ 07078
USA
Tel: (973)379-2690
Fax: (973)912-9433
Tel: (800)225-0292
Email: prc@ChristopherReeve.org
Internet: http://www.christopherreeve.org

New Horizons Un-Limited, Inc.
811 East Wisconsin Ave
Suite 937
Milwaukee, WI 53202
USA
Tel: (414)299-0124
Fax: (414)347-1977
Email: horizons@new-horizons.org
Internet: http://www.new-horizons.org

Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information Center
PO Box 8126
Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8126
Tel: (301)251-4925
Fax: (301)251-4911
Tel: (888)205-2311
TDD: (888)205-3223
Email: ordr@od.nih.gov
Internet: http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/Default.aspx

UCSF Memory and Aging Center
350 Parnassus Avenue
Suite 706
San Francisco, CA 94117
Tel: (415)476-6800
Fax: (415)476-4800
Internet: http://memory.ucsf.edu

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ® (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html

The information provided in this report is not intended for diagnostic purposes. It is provided for informational purposes only. NORD recommends that affected individuals seek the advice or counsel of their own personal physicians.

It is possible that the title of this topic is not the name you selected. Please check the Synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and Disorder Subdivision(s) covered by this report

This disease entry is based upon medical information available through the date at the end of the topic. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most current information about this disorder.

For additional information and assistance about rare disorders, please contact the National Organization for Rare Disorders at P.O. Box 1968, Danbury, CT 06813-1968; phone (203) 744-0100; web site www.rarediseases.org or email orphan@rarediseases.org

Last Updated: 9/29/2008
Copyright 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

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