ELA affects about 2,500 people in Spain
Today the International Day of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is celebrated, a rare disease that affects neurons that control voluntary muscles and evolves to complete paralysis.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ELA) is a rare disease that affects neurons that control voluntary muscles and evolves to complete paralysis.The number of affected in Spain ranges around 2,500 people and 900 new cases are diagnosed every year, which is an average of 2-3 cases a day.Experts, taking advantage of the fact that today's International Day of the ELA, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, emphasizes the need to continue promoting their research, as well as developing more specialized units in Spain since, at present, today,There are only five, all of them in the Community of Madrid.
Dr. Antonio Guerrero Solwith the specific indication to treat it and with very limited effects.For this reason, from the SEN, we also want to insist on the relevance of advancing in aspects of symptomatic and palliative treatment in order to achieve a higher quality of life of patients. ”
ELA mainly affects men between 40 and 70 years, although cases among younger patients also abound.Although the improvements in medical care and the treatment of the symptoms of each patient allow the affected people to live longer and in better conditions, the ELA has no cure.In addition, it only affects motor neurons, does not deteriorate the mind, intelligence, memory, personality of the person, nor to the sense of sight, taste, smell, heard or touch of patients, which makes itOne of the cruelest neurological diseases.
The life expectancy of patients with ELA is 2 to 5 years since the disease is diagnosed.In this period, the person is affected by motor alterations that end up producing a respiratory failure.
According to Dr. Guerrero alone, “this disease is a permanent challenge for all the health professionals involved, since we feel that more can be done and should be done.Only with the common and coordinated effort of institutions, health personnel and society in general, it will be achieved that patients have an adequate quality of life as well as access to the best therapeutic options ”.
The 5 ELA units in Madrid are the first specialized areas created officially in Spain for the exclusive treatment of this disease.These are multidisciplinary units, where several specialists, connoisseurs of the ELA, work to treat patients in a correct way.The Community of Madrid has, therefore, was a pioneer in the implementation of ELA units in public centers, in which not only assistance to the patients are carried out, but also develop coordinated research and clinical trials.