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Diseases » Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis » Glossary

Glossary for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Balance symptoms: Problems with balance or vertigo
Charcot disease:
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: A very rare degenerative brain disease that can be inherited, transmitted (eg in surgical transplants using infected tissue) or as a result of genetic mutations. The condition is fatal.
Difficulty speaking: Where one has a problem with communicating through speech
Falling: The unintentional motion of falling
Guam disease: A nerve degeneration disorder that occurs particularly in Guam and involves progressive dementia and parkinsonism which ultimately leads to death.
Hand symptoms: Symptoms affecting the hand
Lyme disease: Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia.
Motor neuron diseases: Any of various disorders of the "motor neurons", nerves that control movement.
Multiple Sclerosis: Autoimmune attack on spinal nerves causing diverse and varying neural problems.
Muscle weakness: A condition which is characterized by an inability of the muscles to function at their full strenght
Primary Lateral Sclerosis: A neurological disorder involving the upper motor nerves and causing progressive muscle weakness in the extremities and facial area. This condition involves mutations in the same gene and overlapping symptoms with juvenile primary lateral sclerosis but the difference is that primary lateral sclerosis only involves degeneration of the upper motor neurons whereas infantile-onset spastic paralysis is more severe and involves degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons.
Progressive Spinobulbar muscular atrophy: Genetic disease affecting nerves and muscles
Sclerosis: The induration or hardening of tissues
Spinal Muscular Atrophy: A rare condition characterized by progressive degeneration of the spinal and brainstem motor neurons. During fetal development excess primary neurons are formed. The body automatically destroys the extra primary neurons so that only some survive and mature into neurons. In spinal muscular dystrophy, the process that destroys the excess primary neurons doesn't switch off and continues destroying the neurons resulting in progressive motor problems. Various types of the condition range from mild to severe enough to cause death within a couple of years of birth.