What Causes ALS?

[KathyBeth]

So, does anyone know what causes people to get ALS. Is it just a random thing or can it happen from an injury? I know that it happens becuase the horn cells die, but what causes them to die?

 

[owingDuckWhistler777]

Nobody knows for sure.

This is not an als forum, it's for people with bfs so you might be better posting your question on an als forum. However, als forums are scary places and I don't recommend going there unless you have confirmed als.

David

 

[KathyBeth]

I understand that this is not an ALS forum, however in almost every post I read, people are concerned with ALS, so I wanted to know the reasons for the disease.
I do not have confirmed ALS, and I don't want to visit the sites, which was exactly why I was asking people on this forum. Obviously you have been to the sights before, claiming that they are scary, so I would think you'd have an answer for me. If not, I guess that's okay too, but a little insight would be great.

 

[owingDuckWhistler777]

I think that you are being extremely sensible avoiding als sites. As far as I know, there are many theories as to the cause of als but none have been proven. As with most things, if there are lots of theories it usually means that nobody knows for sure.

But if you don't have als, I guess it's not that important to you what the cause is, right?

Remember that this site has 600+ registered members and not one has turned out to have als. BFS is a real condition and totally different from als. You might want to re-read Alonzo's "BFS in a nutshell" posting - it's a classic.

I also recommend ignoring any anecdotal stories on als discussion boards - these are usually completely unverifiable and not worth attaching much importance to. Stick to reliable sources of facts and you'll be just fine.

David

 

[holisticdriver]

better advice than that is listen to your doctor and neurologist and dont listen to anybody over the internet as basically they dont have a clue what they are talking about when it comes to diagnosing neurological conditions.