{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Glossary","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.healthbenefitstimes.com\/glossary","author_name":"Glossary","author_url":"https:\/\/www.healthbenefitstimes.com\/glossary\/author\/adminglossary\/","title":"Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - Definition of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"5jjP1i59oa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthbenefitstimes.com\/glossary\/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als\/\">Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.healthbenefitstimes.com\/glossary\/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als\/embed\/#?secret=5jjP1i59oa\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)&#8221; &#8212; Glossary\" data-secret=\"5jjP1i59oa\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/www.healthbenefitstimes.com\/glossary\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n","description":"Sometimes called Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease, ALS is a rapidly progressive, fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles.A neurological disease of unknown cause that affects motor neurons and is characterized by muscular weakness and atrophy, most often noted initially in the hands and less often in the feet. Cramps are common and may precede weakness. ALS is also called Lou Gehrig disease.Motor neuron disease of unknown etiology characterized by progressive degeneration of cortico-spinal tracts and anterior horn cells or bulbar efferent neurons. Commonly known as \u201cLou Gehrig\u2019s disease.\u201dA motor neurone disease in which the limbs twitch and the muscles gradually waste away.An idiopathic degenerative disease of upper and lower motor neurons, causing motor weakness and spastic limbs; commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.A disease marked by gradual deterioration of the motor nerve cells of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord, resulting in progressive atrophy of the arms, legs, trunk, and respiratory muscles. Also called Lou Gehrig\u2019s Disease.The most common form of motor neuron disease, characterized by progressive muscle atrophy (shrinking) and the loss of muscle function. ALS is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig disease (the only disease to be named after a patient), after the baseball player who died of the disease in 1939. In ALS, the nerves that control muscle activity progressively degenerate within the brain and spinal cord, resulting in the characteristic muscle wasting and weakness. ALS is rare and the cause is unknown. About one in ten people with ALS have a family history of the disorder.A long-term illness involving the deterioration of nerve pathways that control specific muscle groups, leading to ongoing muscle shrinkage, increasing weakness, and near-complete paralysis.A degenerative condition affecting the pyramidal tract (the pathway of motor nerves from the brain to the spinal cord) and lower motor neurons. It is marked by limb muscle weakness and spasms, accompanied by muscle wasting, twitching, and escalating debility."}