Location
Moultrie, GA
Start Date
17-4-2026 12:00 PM
End Date
17-4-2026 1:00 PM
Description
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou-Gehrig's disease is a rapid progressing, terminal, multifocal neurodegenerative disease known for degenerating both upper and lower motor neurons. The average age of those who develop ALS is 40 to 70, with a mean age of 55 at diagnosis. The mean survival time is 2 to 5 years from symptom onset and 20 months from diagnosis. In the elderly population, the disease can go unrecognized due to vague symptoms of weakness which can be confused for other pathologies related to advanced age. Therapy is supportive, and there is no curative treatment.
A 75-year-old caucasian female was hospitalized at Colquitt Regional Medical Center in December 2023, following multiple hospitalizations for symptoms with respiratory etiologies. She was transferred from PCU to ICU due to respiratory decline. Pulmonology and neurology teams were consulted. The pulmonology team ordered labs to rule out Myasthenia Gravis and Neurology ordered a CT Head, MRI Brain, and conducted an EMG to assess for neuromuscular disorders. EMG findings revealed diffuse neuropathic changes with fibrillations and fasciculations consistent with a motor neuron disease. This confirmed the final diagnosis of ALS in January 2024. The patient was treated with Riluzole 50 mg BID and continued on BiPAP to assist with respiratory status. Her condition rapidly declined despite interventions and the patient expired due to respiratory complications in February 2024, nearly one month after diagnosis. The rapid time span of 8 months from symptom onset to expiration is a tragic outcome. Though it is rare, ALS can have an aggressive and rapid decline that deviates from the mean prognosis of 2-5 years. This case emphasizes the necessity of maintaining clinical suspicion with an aged population, due to symptoms being easily misattributed to aging etiologies.
Embargo Period
5-26-2026
Included in
A Septuagenarian Onset of ALS: A Case Report
Moultrie, GA
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou-Gehrig's disease is a rapid progressing, terminal, multifocal neurodegenerative disease known for degenerating both upper and lower motor neurons. The average age of those who develop ALS is 40 to 70, with a mean age of 55 at diagnosis. The mean survival time is 2 to 5 years from symptom onset and 20 months from diagnosis. In the elderly population, the disease can go unrecognized due to vague symptoms of weakness which can be confused for other pathologies related to advanced age. Therapy is supportive, and there is no curative treatment.
A 75-year-old caucasian female was hospitalized at Colquitt Regional Medical Center in December 2023, following multiple hospitalizations for symptoms with respiratory etiologies. She was transferred from PCU to ICU due to respiratory decline. Pulmonology and neurology teams were consulted. The pulmonology team ordered labs to rule out Myasthenia Gravis and Neurology ordered a CT Head, MRI Brain, and conducted an EMG to assess for neuromuscular disorders. EMG findings revealed diffuse neuropathic changes with fibrillations and fasciculations consistent with a motor neuron disease. This confirmed the final diagnosis of ALS in January 2024. The patient was treated with Riluzole 50 mg BID and continued on BiPAP to assist with respiratory status. Her condition rapidly declined despite interventions and the patient expired due to respiratory complications in February 2024, nearly one month after diagnosis. The rapid time span of 8 months from symptom onset to expiration is a tragic outcome. Though it is rare, ALS can have an aggressive and rapid decline that deviates from the mean prognosis of 2-5 years. This case emphasizes the necessity of maintaining clinical suspicion with an aged population, due to symptoms being easily misattributed to aging etiologies.