| | Epidemiology | Rare disease. Occurs globally, common among people aged 40–70, 5–10% of the cases are familial due to mutations in C9orf72, SOD1, and FUS genes, while others are sporadic. Affects people of all ethnicities and races |
| | Sign and symptoms | Muscle weakness, twitching, atrophy, and cramps. Difficulty in speaking and swallowing, hyperreflexia, emotional and cognitive changes, and respiratory symptoms |
| | Diagnosis | Clinical assessments, electromyography, nerve conduction analyses, MRI, blood and urine tests, lumbar puncture or spinal tap, genetic testing, and muscle biopsy |
| | Risk factors | Increasing age, genetics, environmental factors such as exposure to pesticides, herbicides, lead and mercury, smoking tobacco, physical trauma, medical conditions such as primary lateral sclerosis, autoimmune diseases, and frontotemporal dementia |
| | Treatments | Medications such as riluzole, baclofen, and tizanidine to manage symptoms, physical and occupational therapy, speech and swallowing therapy, breathing support, nutrition support, psychological and emotional support, hospice, and palliative care |
| | Challenges and gaps | Complications in timely diagnosis, speedy progression, dearth of a cure and inadequate treatment alternatives, difficulty of care, multifaceted genetics, inadequate research funding, narrow access to clinical trials and rehabilitation services |
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