Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurological disease that primarily affects the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement (those muscles we choose to move).
ALS is characterized by progressive degeneration of motor nerve cells in the brain (upper motor neurons) and spinal cord (lower motor neurons).
Some dummy notes I took in med school:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: distal muscle weakness NO pain. Diffuse atrophy and fasciculation.
Differentiate diagnosis: SMA (Spinal muscular atrophy ) is usually autosomal recessive whereas ALS is sporadic.
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