amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or als) is also known as lou gehrig’s disease. its symptoms are caused when the nerve cells that send signals to the muscles slowly begin to die. at first als may cause weakness in an arm or leg or even in the face. but the weakness gradually progresses to include both arms and legs. muscles may start to twitch. it may become harder to use fine motor skills for tasks such as writing. eventually talking swallowing walking and even breathing are affected. other medical problems can also cause some of these symptoms. these include: • spinal stenosis or narrowing of the spinal canal • pinched nerves in the neck or back • lead poisoning • hiv/aids • thyroid and parathyroid disease • vitamin b12 deficiency • brain tumors • lymphomas • other neuropathies or nerve damage there are other more rare conditions that can also cause these symptoms. if you or a loved one has symptoms of als you need to seek the help of a neurologist. your doctor can refer you to one. if als is diagnosed then you might want to find an als center attached to the neurology department of a major teaching hospital. outlook -length of recovery from cervical spine tumor recovery-loss of arm & partial leg function
what other diseases have the same symtoms as als?