“A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked. Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to the cells. Without blood, brain cells die. This means that a section of the brain starts breaking down and brain function is altered. The quicker a stroke is addressed, the less brain damage there will be and the better the recovery. Strokes are usually painless, but there are signs.”
HealthPrep
“Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States.
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts (or ruptures). When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it and brain cells die.”
American Stroke Association
“Though it’s a progressive disease, there are no officially-defined stages of ALS. Not everyone experiences the same symptoms in exactly the same order, and the disease progresses more slowly in some people than others.
In general, though, the progression of ALS can be divided up into three stages: early, middle, and late.”
ALS Association Texas Chapter
“Experts do not know the cause of ALS. In a few cases, genetics is involved. ALS research is looking into possible environmental causes of ALS.”
John Hopkins Medicine
“Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a-my-o-TROE-fik LAT-ur-ul skluh-ROE-sis), or ALS, is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control.”
MAYO CLINIC
It is a rare neurological disease affecting nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a terminal and progressive motor neuron disease. ALS specifically targets and kills the motor neurons responsible for controlling the vast majority of skeletal muscles in the human body, which eventually leads to respiratory failure and death.
Individuals with ALS experience a degeneration of their motor neurons, which causes the muscles to stop receiving the signals needed to function. After a certain time, the brain completely loses its ability to control voluntary movements, hence, people with ALS are unable to walk, move, or even breathe properly.
ALS belongs to, and is perhaps the most common example of, a group of neurological disorders known as Motor Neuron Diseases. These diseases affect the body by causing the death of millions of neurons found in the motor cortex of the brain as well as the spinal cord. These nerve cells are directly responsible for the regulation and control of skeletal muscle function.
Considering the damage ALS can do, it became essential to spread the message regarding the disease so that people could treat it at an early stage. Though there is no cure for ALS but early detection can help in improving the quality of life of those with the disease.
A positive diagnosis of ALS is based primarily on a patient’s symptomatology. Unfortunately there is no test that can currently provide a more conclusive assessment.
There are many diseases whose symptoms resemble those observed in patients with ALS. Therefore, diseases such as cervical osteoarthritis, cervical hernias that compress the spinal cord, heavy metal poisoning, and some infectious diseases such as Lyme disease or syphilis, can delay a correct diagnosis of ALS immediately.
As such, when ALS is suspected, it is common practice to rule out other diseases through a variety of tests including but not limited to lumbar punctures, MRIs, and electromyographic studies. In some cases, it might be necessary to perform a biopsy of muscle tissue in order to assuage any remaining doubts.
Often, the earliest symptoms of ALS are ignored or outright dismissed. Therefore, better understand this disease’s signs and symptoms.
Pt’s with ALS eventually lose the ability to control all voluntary movement. During the progression of the disease, which typically lasts for several years, patients will experience a cumulative loss of muscle strength.
In most cases, the first muscles affected by the disease are those of the arms and legs which results in patients experiencing awkwardness when walking or moving about, an increased propensity for stumbling or tripping, and difficulty performing everyday tasks especially fine motor tasks like texting on the phone, typing, and even tying shoe or sneaker laces.
This is when the muscle actually deteriorates and muscle is lost. Leading to muscle dystrophy,in the specific case of ALS, it occurs due to a dramatic reduction in the connection between nerves and muscle fibers caused by the death of motor neurons. It often culminates to paresthesia to partial or total paralysis.
Fasciculations are slight and involuntary muscular contractions that occur underneath the skin, but that do not produce any observable limb movement. Fasciculations are visible to the naked eye and are sometimes described as looking like small worms are moving within the muscle. These contractions occur because of spontaneous nerve discharges that fire within clumps of skeletal muscle fibers. They can occur due to damage present in the lower motor neurons. They could be considered an early warning sign of the possible onset of ALS.
Muscle cramps are highly common in patients who have ALS, and their incidence increases as the disease progresses. These sustained involuntary contractions of the muscles are typically accompanied by palpable contractures, can last anywhere from 30 to 45 seconds, and tend to be extremely painful. Spasticity could develop and may not allow certain movements as a consequence of cramps; in which antagonistic muscle groups participate.
“There’s no cure for celiac disease — but for most people, following a strict gluten-free diet can help manage symptoms and promote intestinal healing. There are things that you can do and mainly one intervention is in your diet!”
MAYO CLINIC
The signs and symptoms of celiac disease can vary greatly and differ in children and adults. Digestive signs and symptoms for adults include:
However, more than half the adults with celiac disease have signs and symptoms unrelated to the digestive system, including:
Children with celiac disease are more likely than adults to have digestive problems, including:
The inability to absorb nutrients might result in:
Some patients may have no symptoms yet but if this disease is in your family definitely get checked for it! You get on top of it before the celiac disease gets you first!
There’s no cure for celiac disease — but for most people, following a strict gluten-free diet can help manage symptoms and promote intestinal healing.
Currently, the only treatment for celiac disease is lifelong adherence to a strict gluten-free diet. People living gluten-free must avoid foods with wheat, rye and barley, such as bread and beer.
Ingesting small amounts of gluten, like crumbs from a cutting board or toaster, can trigger small intestine damage.
Celiac disease is also known as coeliac disease, celiac sprue, non-tropical sprue, and gluten sensitive enteropathy.
“Celiac disease is a chronic digestive and immune disorder that damages the small intestine. The disease is triggered by eating foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein found naturally in wheat, barley, and rye, and is common in foods such as bread, pasta, cookies, and cakes. Many products contain gluten, such as prepackaged foods, lip balms and lipsticks, toothpastes, vitamin and nutrient supplements, and, rarely, medicines.
Celiac disease can be serious. The disease can cause long-lasting digestive problems and keep your body from getting all the nutrients it needs. Celiac disease can also affect the body outside the small intestine.”
NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Celiac disease, sometimes called celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
If you have celiac disease, eating gluten triggers an immune response in your small intestine. Over time, this reaction damages your small intestine’s lining and prevents it from absorbing some nutrients (malabsorption). The intestinal damage often causes diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, bloating and anemia, and can lead to serious complications. Celiac Disease Foundation states “It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide. Two and one-half million Americans are undiagnosed and are at risk for long-term health complications.”.
When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body.
Celiac disease is hereditary, meaning that it runs in families. People with a first-degree relative with celiac disease (parent, child, sibling) have a 1 in 10 risk of developing celiac disease.
Celiac disease can be difficult to diagnose because it affects people differently. There are more than 200 known celiac disease symptoms which may occur in the digestive system or other parts of the body. Some people develop celiac disease as a child, others as an adult. The reason for this is still unknown.
Celiac disease can develop at any age after people start eating foods or medicines that contain gluten. Left untreated, celiac disease can lead to additional serious health problems. Some people with celiac disease have no symptoms at all, but still test positive on the celiac disease blood test. A few others may have a negative blood test, but have a positive intestinal biopsy. However, all people with celiac disease are at risk for long-term complications, whether or not they display any symptoms.
Long Term Problems that can arise from celiac disease are the following: