Health A-Z

Medical Content Created by the Faculty of the
Harvard Medical School

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Symptoms

Symptoms of ALS include:

• Muscle weakness and wasting (atrophy) in the arms and legs, torso, breathing muscles, throat and tongue. Weakness usually begins in the arms and legs, and continues to get worse slowly over time.

• Muscle twitching, cramps, stiffness, and muscles that tire easily

• Slowed speech that becomes progressively harder to understand

• Difficulty breathing and swallowing; choking

• Weight loss because of both muscle breakdown and poor nutrition caused by problems swallowing

• Sudden involuntary bursts of laughter or crying

• Changes in the way the person walks, and eventually, the loss of the ability to walk

Symptoms of ALS include:

• Muscle weakness and wasting (atrophy) in the arms and legs, torso, breathing muscles, throat and tongue. Weakness usually begins in the arms and legs, and continues to get worse slowly over time.

• Muscle twitching, cramps, stiffness, and muscles that tire easily

• Slowed speech that becomes progressively harder to understand

• Difficulty breathing and swallowing; choking

• Weight loss because of both muscle breakdown and poor nutrition caused by problems swallowing

• Sudden involuntary bursts of laughter or crying

• Changes in the way the person walks, and eventually, the loss of the ability to walk