Over time, ALS paralyzes the muscles you use to breathe. You might need a device to help you breathe at night, similar to what someone with sleep apnea might wear. For example, you may be given a bilevel positive airway pressure BiPAP device to help with your breathing at night.
This type of device supports your breathing through a mask worn over your nose, your mouth or both. Some people with advanced ALS choose to have a tracheostomy — a surgically created hole at the front of the neck leading to the windpipe trachea — for full-time use of a respirator that inflates and deflates their lungs.
The most common cause of death for people with ALS is respiratory failure. On average, death occurs within 3 to 5 years after symptoms begin. However, some people with ALS live 10 or more years. Most people with ALS develop trouble speaking. This usually starts as occasional, mild slurring of words, but becomes more severe. Speech eventually becomes difficult for others to understand, and people with ALS often rely on other communication technologies to communicate.
People with ALS can develop malnutrition and dehydration from damage to the muscles that control swallowing. They are also at higher risk of getting food, liquids or saliva into the lungs, which can cause pneumonia. A feeding tube can reduce these risks and ensure proper hydration and nutrition. Some people with ALS have problems with memory and decision-making, and some are eventually diagnosed with a form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Just what is ALS? ALS Association. The disease typically begins in the hands, feet and limbs before progressing to the rest of the body. Some of the more common symptoms in the end stages of the disease include:.
Almost all ALS patients are unable to walk or use crutches in the late stages of ALS and require a wheelchair and assistance moving around. This is due to paralysis of the limbs caused by the disease attacking the muscles.
Many also experience an inability to talk, eat or drink and require a feeding tube. The most common cause of death for ALS patients is respiratory complications caused by an inability to breathe.
Heart complications are also possible in certain cases. Since there is no known cure, the goal of treatment in the end stages of ALS is to manage discomfort and other symptoms. Many health professionals recommend hospice care to help those in the end stages of ALS improve their quality of life and remain relatively comfortable. Hospice care teams improve the comfort and quality of life primarily by mitigating ALS symptoms, such as those mentioned above.
Excessive pain is not a concern for many ALS patients, but muscle spasms and joint stiffness is often an issue. Through pain relief medication, therapies and other care methods, hospice teams can help keep pain at a tolerable level.
The average life expectancy after diagnosis is two to five years, but some patients may live for years or even decades. The famous physicist Stephen Hawking, for example, lived for more than 50 years after he was diagnosed.
There is no known cure to stop or reverse ALS. Each person with ALS experiences a different proportion of upper and lower motor neurons that die.
This results in symptoms that vary from person to person. The disease progresses, affecting more nerve cells as time goes on. As muscle tissues deteriorates, the muscles become weaker and atrophy wither and the person's limbs may begin to look thinner.
However, the muscles can also become spastic moving involuntarily and this may lead to increased muscle tone in some parts of the body. Not all individuals with ALS develop the same symptoms or the same sequences or patterns of progression.
However, all people with ALS will experience progressive muscle weakness and paralysis. In the early stages of ALS, the symptoms may be so minor that they are overlooked.
Common symptoms include:. In more advanced stages, ALS causes shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing and swallowing, which is what eventally lead to a person's death. Based on US population studies, a little more than 5, people in the US are diagnosed with ALS each year — approximately 15 new cases per day. It is estimated that as many as 30, Americans have the disease at any given time.
Most people develop ALS between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis. However, rare cases of the disease do occur in persons in their 20s and 30s. Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, recent research suggests that multiple complex factors contribute to the death of motor neurons.
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