A 52-year-old female (a proud Gulf War veteran) presents in the doctor’s office complaining of recent challenges with completing normal tasks. Recently, however, she has found it difficult to continue to play. The pool sticks have begun to feel heavier and she doesn’t have the strength to strike the balls as hard as she used to. Her muscle weakness has impacted other areas of her life as well; she is no longer able to go grocery shopping because her legs get tired too quickly and recently, she tripped outside her house and hurt her knee. When asked about her family medical history, she states that her brother died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) when he was 31, and while it was not confirmed, she suspects that he father died from ALS as well.
Upstream Effects
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Indirect Cause
What predisposes this patient to contracting ALS?
factors that could also contribute to her development of ALS?
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sex
At 65, slightly more men than women develop ALS
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Downstream Effects
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Complication of ALS
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Systems
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Digestive System
malnutrition
higher risk of getting food, liquids or saliva into the lungs
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Muscle System
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Weakness in your leg, feet or ankles
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Physiology
Skeletal System
Spinal cord
Thoracic Vertebrae
affects muscles, upper chest, mid-back and abdominal muscles
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Cervical Vertebrae
allows control of the head and neck, and movements (forward, backward, and to the sides)
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Muscular System
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Skeletal muscle tissue
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Slow oxidative, Fast oxidative and Fast Glycolytic Fibers
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Nervous System
cerebrum
Temporal lobe
vision, memory, sensory input, hearing
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Anatomy
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Neuron
Parts of a neuron:
cell body
dendrites
axon
axon hillock
nissil body
Schwann cell
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