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Reviewed By: Brunilda Nazario,
SOURCES: 2007 Medical Reference from Medstar Television. Michael Benatar, MD, PhD, Researcher, Neurology and Epidemiology Assoc. Professor, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
© 1999-2011 Medstar Television
Martha Bogosian (buh-GOES-ee-in) lost her mother to amyotrophic (a-my-oh-TROE-phic) lateral sclerosis, ALS.
From the time she was diagnosed, which took nine months, to the time she died — that includes that nine months — was a year and a half.
By the time diagnosis is made, there's not much that can be done.
The disease process may be too far advanced that you don't stand a chance.
So researchers are now focusing on finding those at risk.
If you know who's at risk, you might initiate a treatment in advance of the disease becoming apparent in advance the disease developing and perhaps a greater chance of preventing or delaying the onset of disease.
Researchers have long known ALS has two variations, including one that runs in families. Past research shows those cases share a specific gene.
We know that they're at a high lifetime risk of developing disease.
Doctor Benatar and his team are now recruiting for their study looking at the familial ALS.
We're talking to people who come from families where there are at least two family members who are affected with ALS. We're asking them to send us a genetic sample. We ship them a little kit and they give us a saliva sample from which we extract DNA and test for the known mutations.
Martha hopes they get their answers soon.
Knowledge is power.
There's still much to learn about why or how someone is stricken with ALS, but research has led to an FDA-approved treatment that could help slow the progression of this often devastating disease. For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.
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