Lou Gehrig's disease
Progressive muscle wasting
Lou Gehrig's disease is a fatal neurological condition that progressively destroys nerve cells controlling voluntary muscle movement, leading to paralysis.
The medical term is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Named for the New York Yankees first baseman whose career and life it ended in 1939: She was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease at fifty-two.
Motor neuron disease
- neurodegenerativeCausing brain cell death
- muscle weaknessReduced contractile capacity
- atrophyWasting from disuse
- spasticityPathological muscle tightness
paralysis · dysarthria · dysphagia · respiratory failure · electromyography · diagnosis · symptoms · progression
- fundraisingSoliciting money for organizations
- advocacyPleading for a cause
- solidarityUnity among allies
- documentaryFactual film about reality
One providing daily assistance
- patientAble to wait calmly
- supportTo uphold or sustain
- palliative careRelief-focused medicine for illness
- hospiceTerminal illness comfort program
wheelchair · communication device · occupational therapy · physical therapy · respiratory therapy · home care · quality of life · dignity
Permanent DNA alteration
- hereditaryPassed through generations
- biomarkerMeasurable biological health signal
- gene therapyMedical DNA modification treatment
- clinical trialsControlled health research experiments
At the endpoint
- incurableCannot be healed
- progressiveFavoring reform and innovation
- deteriorationProcess of declining quality
- fatalCausing death or ruin
ALS
Motor neuron disease
- neurodegenerativeCausing brain cell death
- muscle weaknessReduced contractile capacity
- atrophyWasting from disuse
spasticity · paralysis · dysarthria · dysphagia · respiratory failure · electromyography · diagnosis · symptoms · progression · prognosis
Stephen Hawking
- fundraisingSoliciting money for organizations
- advocacyPleading for a cause
- solidarityUnity among allies
caregiver
One providing daily assistance
- patientAble to wait calmly
- supportTo uphold or sustain
- palliative careRelief-focused medicine for illness
hospice · wheelchair · communication device · occupational therapy · physical therapy · respiratory therapy · home care · quality of life · dignity · end-of-life
mutation
Permanent DNA alteration
- hereditaryPassed through generations
- biomarkerMeasurable biological health signal
- gene therapyMedical DNA modification treatment
terminal
At the endpoint
- incurableCannot be healed
- progressiveFavoring reform and innovation
- deteriorationProcess of declining quality
fatal · debilitation · immobility · life expectancy · decline
- Medical EponymsAlzheimer's, Parkinson's, Down syndrome, Bell's palsy, Tourette's
- Motor Neuron DiseasesALS
- Neurological Disordersepilepsy, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy
- Fatal Diseasespancreatic cancer, glioblastoma, ALS, metastatic cancer, mesothelioma
- motor diseasesALS, polio, paralysis, muscle weakness, muscle atrophy
- neurologybrain, neuron, neurons, synapse, synapses
Lou Gehrig's diseaseperfect health
Complete physical wellbeing
vitality · able-bodiedness · full health · wellness · robust health