Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be linked to genetic factors that promote cardiovascular fitness, according to a study indicating that ALS patients’ parents died of cardiovascular disease less often. But researchers underscored that it is not physical activity that increases the risk of ALS. The study, “Exploring…

A recent review highlights the importance of population-based registers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Europe, which for more than 20 years have helped scientists understand the disease’s incidence, prevalence, characterization and genetics, as well as the outcome assessment of clinical trials. The review, “The changing picture of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: lessons from…

Orangetheory Fitness and its franchises raised more than $2 million in two weeks for Augie’s Quest, a foundation dedicated to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. Thanks to the support of its franchise owners, coaches, studio staff and more than 430,000 members across the U.S., Orangetheory Fitness was able to more…

Psychological factors and subjective experiences play a central role in the burdens felt by people who care for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study says. The study, titled “Caregivers of Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Investigating Quality of Life, Caregiver Burden, Service Engagement and Patient Survival,“ appeared in the…

Researchers have mapped the possible changes in shape of a key amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) protein that becomes mutated, a development that could lead to understanding how the mutations contribute to the disease’s progression. The knowledge could also lead to new therapeutic agents to target the mutations. The protein, angiogenin, is present…

A cardiovascular medication called Zontivity (vorapaxar) may be linked to a slight, but still increased, risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a review of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents on data from the drug’s clinical studies. While researchers noted that the risk of developing ALS is very…

A pregnant woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) successfully delivered her baby by cesarean section after receiving total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) without muscle relaxant, in what Chinese researchers describe as a medical first. ALS pregnancies are exceedingly rare to begin with, because the disease itself only affects two out of…

In this video from Sports Illustrated, HBO Real Sports reporter Jon Frankel discusses the link between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and American Football. Gleason documentary follows the story of NFL star Steve Gleason’s journey with ALS. Find out more here.  In particular, he references the case of Kevin…

People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are frequently in pain, yet few studies focus on this aspect of the disease, according to an analysis by researchers at Italy’s University of Turin. Their study, “Pain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” recently appeared in the journal The Lancet Neurology. A comprehensive overview of published data,…

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in advanced stages who suddenly experience worsening shortness of breath and chest discomfort are likely to have Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a condition also known as broken heart syndrome. Based on their findings, South Korean researchers studying the hearts of ALS patients  urge physicians to consider Takotsubo…