HTHSCI 1H06 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Upper Motor Neuron, Motor Neuron Disease

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Health Sciences
• Course: HTHSCI 1H06
• Professor: Peter Helli

Document Summary

Mr. lou monroe is a 55 year-old printer who notices that he has difficulty inserting the type into the printing press. He also has difficulty buttoning his shirt in the morning and turning keys. There is no pain, and over the next few weeks he realizes that his right hand is weak and has less muscle bulk than his left hand. Weakness then appears in his left hand and spreads to involve his entire right arm, and he experiences difficulty climbing stairs. Finger flexor cramps occur frequently, and he becomes aware of muscle twitches beneath the skin of his arms and chest. Eight months after the onset of his initial symptoms he develops slurred speech and difficulty swallowing liquids. He is bothered by his symptoms, but he waits for several months before seeing his doctor. A - myo - trophic: without nutrition in the muscles. Questions: paresis is the clinical term for weakness or impairment of motor function.