Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
by 1881, from French, first word from Greek a-, privative prefix, + mys, myos "muscle" (see muscle (n.)) + trophikos "feeding," from trophe "nourishment" (see -trophy). Often known in U.S. as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the New York Yankees baseball player (1903-1941) who was diagnosed with it in 1939.
Wiktionary
n. (context pathology neurology English) A chronic, progressive disease characterized by degeneration of the central nervous system and the loss of voluntary muscle control.
WordNet
n. thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord; results in progressive muscle atrophy that starts in the limbs [syn: ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease]
Wikipedia
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) is a specific disorder that involves the death of neurons that control voluntary muscles. In other countries, the term motor neurone disease (MND) is commonly used, while others use that term for a group of five conditions of which ALS is the most common. ALS is characterized by stiff muscles, muscle twitching, and gradually worsening weakness due to muscles decreasing in size. This results in difficulty speaking, swallowing, and eventually breathing.
The cause is not known in 90% to 95% of cases. About 5–10% of cases are inherited from a person's parents. About half of these genetic cases are due to one of two specific genes. The diagnosis is based on a person's signs and symptoms with testing done to rule out other potential causes.
No cure for ALS is known. A medication called riluzole may extend life by about two to three months. Non-invasive ventilation may result in both improved quality and length of life. The disease usually starts around the age of 60 and in inherited cases around the age of 50. The average survival from onset to death is three to four years. About 10% survive longer than 10 years. Most die from respiratory failure. In much of the world, rates of ALS are unknown. In Europe and the United States the disease affects about two people per 100,000 per year.
Descriptions of the disease date back to at least 1824 by Charles Bell. In 1869, the connection between the symptoms and the underlying neurological problems was first described by Jean-Martin Charcot, who in 1874 began using the term amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It became well known in the United States in the 20th century when in 1939 it affected the baseball player Lou Gehrig, and later worldwide when physicist Stephen Hawking, diagnosed in 1963 and expected to die within two years, became famous. In 2014 videos of the ice bucket challenge went viral on the Internet and increased public awareness.
Usage examples of "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis".
When they confirmed the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS they called it, I'd known something was wrong.
There's been an outbreak of a form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on CY30 VI.
There's been an outbreak of a form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on CY3O VI.
She had been diagnosed nearly two years ago with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis &mdash.
There was Hodgkin's disease, leukemia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
She had been diagnosed nearly two years ago with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis- ALS, or more commonly Lou Gehrig's disease- and was on a certain downward course toward total paralysis and, eventually, death.
Morrie had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's disease, a brutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system.