What is primary lateral sclerosis?
Primary lateral sclerosis (Pls) is a rare disease involving damage to upper motor neurons responsible for regulating voluntary movement. Patients with this condition experience increasing muscle stiffness and lack of muscle control. This disease should not be confused with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a similar condition including upper and lower motor neurons, where muscles usually atrophy over time due to the loss of neurological function. Patients may notice symptoms such as clumsiness and stiffness before a carefree speech, trouble with walking and problems with fine motor tasks involving hands. PLS is not generally fatal, with patients die of causes other than neurological degeneration progresses to a point where it would become life -threatening. This is an important distinguishing element that separates it from ALS.
In even more unusual condition called juvenile primary lateral sclerosis, patients develop this condition at a young age as a result of inheritancethe gene of the gene. People with a family history of neurological diseases such as primary lateral sclerosis can be exposed to an increased risk of passing on harmful genes to their children, leading to a number of congenital conditions, including juvenile primary lateral sclerosis. People who are worried about this risk can consult with a genetic advisor.
The diagnosis of primary lateral sclerosis can be demanding because there are no specific test physicians to see if people have it. Symptoms are evaluated and patients can be tested for other diseases to eliminate other known causes of these symptoms. Sometimes ALS and PLS are confused in diagnostics and explain why some people believe that ALS live longer than expected, and experience less serious symptoms, because in reality the primary side sclerosis.
drugs can help patients with muscle stiffness and pain associated with this STAvem. Physical therapy can also be recommended to develop as much strength and dexterity as possible. Finally, patients may need mobility aids and other assistance equipment to do and can also benefit from speech therapies to solve problems such as swallowing problems and incomprehensible speech. Many patients also consider it useful to visit groups of psychotherapy or patient support in the process of adapting to the diagnosis and learn to live with the condition. This can be traumatic, especially for people who have lived very active lives, and people can experience grief and complex emotions after diagnosis.