Walden UniversityBIOLOGY 3020

1) Explain common misconceptions about anatomy and physiology that are related to—and impact—ALS.

2. Analyze the social and economic impacts of ALS, as they relate to homeostatic imbalance in the integumentary, skeletal, and muscular systems

3. How is ALS fatal and very fast acting with a life expectancy of 3 years.

4. Compare the impacts of ALS to MS to the muscular system.

Answers:

Question:

1. Explain common misconceptions about anatomy and physiology that are related to—and impact—ALS.

ALS stands for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis it is sometimes called as Lou Gehrig disease named after the baseball player who becomes familiar because he suffered from this disease.

five common misconceptions about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Misconception 1- ALS genetics is only applicable for hereditary cases. 

• Having ALS in the family may increase the risk of evolving the condition, but ALS can also be created by genetic mutations even if there is no family history of the said disease.

Misconception 2- ALS affects only the body. 

• This is not true. As ALS progresses, some patients develop cognitive impairments.

• This progressive, neurodegenerative disease attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The function of the Motor neurons is to communicate from the brain to the spinal cord then from the spinal cord to muscles all around the body. As the disease advances and motor neurons die, the brain loses its capability to control muscle movement.

Misconception 3- ALS is a muscle disease. 

• Because most symptoms of ALS are connected to muscle activity, many people don't perceive the underlying cause on the damage to the nerve cells.

Misconception 4- ALS does only affects old people. 

• Although cases related to ALS are mostly common in 40- to 70-year-olds, but this statement is not true because young people can also be detected with this type of condition.

Misconception 5- One of the main causes of ALS is Lyme disease.

• There are numerous similar symptoms between ALS condition and Lyme disease, which has led to this misconception but there is no concrete and scientific evidence that ALS can be caused by Lyme disease or other infections.

2- Analyze the social and economic impacts of ALS, as they relate to homeostatic imbalance in the integumentary, skeletal, and muscular systems.

As ALS progresses the muscle becomes weakened and eventually causes paralysis and disabling the patient as a result the patient could barely land on a job because of the disorder. It can create distress on the part of the patient knowing his condition. Not to mention, the management and day-to-day patient care most frequently fall to family members.

It can cause economic and financial burden to the family which can be enormous. It was concluded that the key to reduced costs is by educating the health care community, patients and families, and third-party payers about the disorder.

3- How is ALS fatal and very fast acting with a life expectancy of 3 years.

Most people with ALS die because of respiratory failure, which happens when people cannot get enough amount of oxygen from their lungs into their blood or the other way around when the body cannot appropriately remove carbon dioxide from their blood. High levels of carbon dioxide in the body would mean low levels of consciousness which in turn leading patients to sleep for long periods. More often, patients with ALS die very peacefully while they were sleeping,

That is why this disease is fatal and life expectancy is fast.

4- Compare the impacts of ALS to MS to the muscular system.

In ALS, sclerosis destroys the motor neurons resulting to the hardening of the myelin sheath. This leads to muscle wasting and the loss of control of motor functions.

Sclerosis in Muscular System is caused by a malfunction in myelin (insulating sheath that forms around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord). When demyelination happens, signals from the brain to other parts of the body are affected.