What causes Lou Gerigs Disease?

Question

Is it hereditary?

Answer 1

The cause of Loug Gherig's disease, or ALS (amyotrophic latteral sclerosis), is still unknown.
Only 5-10 percent of ALS cases are inherited.
ALS scares the hell out of me, because I watched my mother die an agonizing death. I have no idea what variation of ALS she had, but I would rather be shot than die like she did.

Answer 2

ALS is a disease of the lower motor neurons. It is very serious and almost always fatal within 5-10 years. It causes people to lose control of their skeletal muscles (not heart or smooth muscles) and most eventually die of weakness--whether it be they don't have the strength to breath, eat, etc. It is true that the cause of ALS is unknown and there is no real treatment or cure, but there are some key patterns that have been observed by researchers. For instance, many cases of inherited ALS have been traced back to a mutant protein called superoxide dismutase-1. Another key feature in many neurodegenerative diseases (Lou Gehrig's, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc) is the formation of protein aggregates (big clumps) within neurons that may directly or indirectly cause the cells to die. I could go into a lot more detail about possible causes of the disease, my lab in fact is studying some aspects of it like superoxide dismutase-1, but nevertheless it is a very hot research area in cell biology these days.

Answer 3

1. Correct - 5-10% of cases are hereditary, due to a mutation in the copper superoxide dismutase gene.

2. Hypotheses for cause - a. neurodegenerative disorder resulting from the accumulation of oxidative damage. b. late effects of viral exposure resulting in autoimmune distruction of anterior horn cells. c. recently suspected to be the result of mitochondrial dysfunction. d. excitotoxicity related to glutamate (feel free to look any of these terms up on wikipedia.com)

3. If I knew the answer to #2, I would be in Sweden getting a medal.

Answer 4

hereditary my dear watson

Answer 5

I dont think people really know, though it is suspected to be genetic.