Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: clinical management and research update.

Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2009 Jan;9(1):59-68.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: clinical management and research update.
Andrews J.
The Neurological Institute of New York, 710 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA. [email protected]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that selectively affects the motor neurons of the brain and spinal cord. ALS occurs in about 1 in 100,000 individuals. Although recent advances have been made in understanding the pathogenesis of ALS, there has been no new effective pharmacotherapy since the approval of riluzole more than 10 years ago. The mainstay of clinical management includes pharmacologic management of symptoms, management of dysphagia and respiratory symptoms, palliative care, and multidisciplinary care clinics. In this review, we discuss the clinical management of ALS, recent modifications to the diagnostic criteria, and current clinical trials.
PMID: 19080755 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]