ALS remains incurable, and no medication capable of halting or reversing the progressive loss of neurons has been developed. Nonetheless, the disease is not untreatable. ALS management has improved considerably over the past few decades [2,]. Figure 1. Several pathogenic mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have been proposed, including glutamate-induced excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and deficit in neurotrophic growth factors.
ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The prognosis for younger patients is far better than for those diagnosed in middle or old age [2,5]. The fact that Hawking lived with this terminal disease for so long was unprecedented. His ALS progressed more slowly than expected and eventually burnt itself out [1,3]. His indomitable will and the care he received no doubt also contributed to his ability to survive for as long as he did.
Determination and Success The onslaught of the disease overtook most of his muscles, which forced him to communicate using a voice synthesizer. For the remainder of his life, the only control he had over his body was in his eyes and his fingers with which he controlled his wheelchair. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, he lived life to the full, both professionally and personally. He never allowed his physical condition to interfere with the way he lived his life. On his 60th birthday, he took a hot-air balloon flight and at the age of 65, he took part in a zero-gravity flight.
His attendance at scientific meetings and conferences brought him to every continent, including Antarctica. He married twice and is survived by three children. He never lost his sense of humor or zest for life. He enjoyed racing his wheelchair around Cambridge where he lived, and even had an accident that resulted in a broken bone.
In , Hawking had a tracheostomy for ventilator treatment when he caught pneumonia. The operation cost him his voice. Elliott said it would have taken a lot of private funding to pay for the care and equipment that kept Hawking from being an invalid.
There is no cure for ALS, although two drugs are approved to help treat some of its symptoms. Patients progressively lose the use of their muscles, often becoming completely paralyzed except for their eyes. It can't tell how many new diagnoses are made every year yet, but a new registry shows that four in every , people has ALS.
IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. He was first diagnosed with ALS more than five decades ago, at age 21, and was initially given just a few years to live — making the very nature of his long, illustrious career as much of a scientific marvel as the theories and discoveries it yielded.
ALS symptoms often begin with slurred speech or muscle weakness and twitching, according to the Mayo Clinic , and get worse over time. Some patients also use ventilators to assist with breathing. Quite rare. Although his life was expected by some physicians to be short, he died at the age of 76 after living for more than 50 years with ALS.
He published many articles and several books on theoretical physics and the Big Bang theory. His most popular book, A Brief History of Time, was published in As a result of ALS Dr. Hawking received assistance for most movement and was unable to speak without the aid of a computer. This presented a problem because as a researcher and scientist Dr.
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