Now is the era of network, information dissemination is developed at a high speed, and the term “frozen man” has gradually come into the public eye, especially after the “ice bucket challenge”, the term “frozen man” has appeared more frequently in the network, paper media and TV programs. However, the bad side is that the term “frozen man” is often misused and abused by some media, which further deepens the misunderstanding of the people who are already in a fog.
There are some objective reasons for the misuse of the term “acromegaly” by the media, in addition to the lack of homework done by media editors and the lack of rigorous reporting. The disease is rare, and society in general is poorly informed about it; the cause is unknown, and scholars have different perceptions and tendencies; as research progresses, the definition of the classification will be modified; and countries and regions around the world have different habits in using the name of the disease.
What is the relationship between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and motor neuron disease? And what kind of disease does acromegaly refer to? In order to explain clearly to you, I have looked up some domestic and international information, so let’s take the following steps to solve the confusion.
First of all, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, motor neuron disease, and acromegaly are all words from outside of mainland China. It would not be wrong to equate the three terms. A search for each of these three terms on Wikipedia’s Chinese website will bring us to the same link. In the past two years, we are glad to see that Baidu has also improved the medical terminology, and the terminology has been changed from being compiled by the general public to being compiled by experts from national institutions, and a search for each of these three terms will also lead to the same link: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by Professor Li Xiaoguang from the Department of Neurology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Although they can be equated, there are still slight differences between the three terms, which are described below.
I. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disease of the nervous system characterized by the coexistence of damage to upper and lower motor neurons, with simultaneous involvement of the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord, brainstem motor neurons and the pyramidal tract. The clinical manifestation is asymmetric muscle weakness and atrophy starting from the distal limbs, leading to severe motor dysfunction and even respiratory muscle paralysis, and patients die within 3-5 years. It is the most common type of motor neuron disease. The term was first used in 1874 by Jean Martin Charcot, the “father of neurology” in France, and is also known as Charcot’s disease in France. In the United States, ALS is also used as a generic term for motor neuron disease and is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the American baseball player who died of this disease in 1941. In Commonwealth countries, ALS is often referred to as motor neuron disease (MND). We advocate that professional medicine follow the nomenclature of the World Federation of Neurology in using amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to facilitate international communication.
A-myo-trophic is from the Greek. A” means no, “Myo” means muscle, “Trophic” means nourishment, Amyotrophic means “muscle without nourishment, muscle atrophy”, when the muscle has no nourishment, it will “atrophy” or thin. Lateral” refers to the location where the nerve cell signals that control the muscle are affected, and the degeneration of this area leads to the characteristic of sclerosis (“sclerosis”).
Motor neuron disease
Motor neuron disease (MND) is a group of neurodegenerative diseases that mainly involve motor neurons in the cerebral cortex, brainstem and spinal cord, and can be divided into the following four types.
1, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
2, progressive muscle atrophy (PMA)
3.Progressive bulbar palsy (PBP)
4, primary lateral sclerosis (PLS)
It is not entirely clear whether motor neuron disease is a single disease with different phenotypes, but ALS is the most common type of motor neuron disease.
In some countries of the Commonwealth, motor neuron disease refers specifically to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and we can see that the name “MND” is used as the name and logo of the association in England, New Zealand, Australia and other regions of the world, which is one of the reasons why the three terms mentioned at the beginning can be equated. In other countries and regions, motor neuron disease generally refers to a group of diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and its subtypes (PMA, PBP, PLS) (some scholars also have different understanding). In mainland China, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and motor neuron disease are often confused due to the different literature referenced in each region and the different levels of medicine. In Taiwan, motor neuron disease is translated as motor neuron disease, and motor neuron disease is also called “acromegaly”.
Motor neuron disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Wikipedia’s English website describes MND and ALS as follows
In the United States the term is often used interchangeably with ALS. In the United Kingdom “motor neurone disease” may be used to mean ALS.
In the United Kingdom “motor neurone disease” may be used to mean ALS. In the United States the term ALS is often used interchangeably with MND.
The International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations website describes MND and ALS as follows
Although MND is the widely used generic term in the United Kingdom, Australia and parts of Europe, ALS is used more generically in the United States, Canada and South America.
Although MND is the widely used generic term in the United Kingdom, Australia and parts of Europe, ALS is used more generically in the United States, Canada and South America.
The MND Association’s website describes MND and ALS as follows: MND and ALS are different descriptions of the same disease.
MND and ALS are different descriptions of the same disease.
The MND Association, which covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the ALS Association, which operates in the USA, do the same type of work. only real difference is what we call the disease.
The MND Association in the UK and the ALS Association, which operates in the USA, do the same type of work.
In the UK we use MND C motor neurone disease C and in the USA they use ALS C amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Both refer to a fatal, progressive disease that can rob people of the ability to speak, move and breathe.
The reason there is a difference is that there are several forms of MND. ALS is the most common type.
The reason there is a difference is that there are several forms of MND.
MND is an umbrella term for all forms of the disease. In the USA, ALS is used as the umbrella term (they also sometimes refer to it as Lou Gehrig’s MND is an umbrella term for all forms of the disease. In the USA, ALS is also used as the umbrella term (they also sometimes refer to it as Lou Gehrig’s disease)
IV. Acromegaly
The term “acromegaly” is most confusingly used in mainland China, and the media does not seek to understand it very well. The word “progressive” comes from Taiwan, for this reason I specially consulted the director of the Taiwan Progressive Association, and the answer I got was “gems like the development of the community K to avoid the community grub high by the areal disease” ` solution fern high λl disease”, in 1998, this bragging beauty grate O thing h sarai carry on, “mummy”, “by the areal atrophy s”, “by the areal atrophy s”, “by the areal disease”. In 1998, the name of the “mummy”, “areal disease”, “areal disease”, “thinking giant”, “us man”, “u plate forgiveness ditch rongT more than ~, through ^ to “u plate f coffin rovee name, meaning that by areal disease patients after the disease, by u atrophy sc, just like being uu ice axe talk sc u plate word is from f years out of the river to take ~, K non-shadow “urgent plate forgiveness II! The U cupboard is a place where people with motor neuron disease (motor neuron disease, that is, what we call motor neuron disease) are not included in the category of acromegaly.
V. Other terms
1.Ice Bucket Challenge: “Ice Bucket Challenge” is the abbreviation of “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge”, which is a public service challenge initiated by the American ALS Association. The Ice Bucket Challenge is a public service campaign to raise awareness and donations for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (motor neuron disease), which began as the “Ice Water Challenge” and was later developed by a golfer, Chris Kennedy, who took the Ice Bucket Challenge and named his husband as his cousin, Janet, who has ALS. Jeanette Senerchia, whose husband is an ALS patient, was named. Jeanette accepted the challenge the next day and named Pat Quinn, who also has ALS and plays for the Yankees. Pat Quinn, who also has ALS and plays for the Yankees, participated. The Ice Bucket Challenge became associated with ALS and quickly became a global phenomenon, with total donations eventually exceeding $200 million worldwide.
2. Motor neuron disease: Motor neuron disease here is not the same concept as motor neuron disease in Taiwan, which is the translation of “motor neuron disease” in Taiwan. As the translation of motor neuron diseases (MNDs), the definition is broader and includes all diseases that damage motor neurons such as Hirayama disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Kennedy’s disease (KD), shackle arm syndrome (FAS), shackle leg syndrome (FLS), spastic paraplegia (HSP), multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), etc.
3, spinal muscular atrophy: spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic disease of the anterior horn cell degeneration of the spinal cord. Mainly lower motor neuron damage, but generally there is also damage to upper motor neurons, and ALS electrophysiological performance differences are very small, often difficult to distinguish, but regardless of the clinical performance and prognosis can be seen as an independent disease. Recent studies have suggested that SMA is not only familial, but also diffuse. In the latest neurology textbooks, the disseminated part is also included in motor neuron disease, which is basically equivalent to progressive spinal muscular atrophy (PSMA). Therefore, spinal muscular atrophy may also be classified as a whole as “acromegaly”.
4.Motor neuron disease syndrome: ALS mimic syndromes or motor neuron disease syndromes refer to diseases with clinical manifestations of ALS, but with clear causes, such as physical factors, metabolic abnormalities, immune abnormalities or tumors with increased globulin. The symptoms of ALS may be controlled or improved by treating the cause. For example, thyroid disease, lymphoma, exogenous toxins (heavy metals, organic pesticides), spinal cavitation, paraproteinemia, physical trauma (electroshock, radiation therapy), cervical spondylotic myelopathy, etc.
5, myotonic dystrophy: in a variety of non-medical media abuse of the word “acromegaly” the most serious to myotonic dystrophy. Although the above diseases are different, survival, prognosis, but most of the EMG will show neurogenic damage, and myotonic dystrophy types are a disease of myogenic damage, in the differential diagnosis will not be as easy to confuse with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as some of the above diseases. Myotonic dystrophy refers to a group of genetic disorders characterized by progressively worsening muscle weakness and degeneration of the muscles governing movement. Myotonic dystrophy includes congenital myotonic dystrophy, other BECKER type MD, and many other types. Some myotonic dystrophies lead to impaired movement and even paralysis.
Conclusion: Motor neuron disease (MND) in the broad sense refers to a general term for a group of diseases that includes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and its subtypes (PMA, PBP, PLS), which is also defined by the International Federation of Neurology (in the United States and some parts of South America amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also has the broad motor neuron disease ). . Motor neuron disease (MND) in the narrower sense refers specifically to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as is customarily used in some Commonwealth countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and parts of Europe. The term “acromegaly” comes from Taiwan and refers to motor neuron disease (MND) in a broad sense, excluding diseases other than MND (SMA is a separate term).
Some people say that it is meaningless to argue about what acromegaly is, they also have the same misfortune and pain, and also bring us the same shock and touch, as an acromegaly patient, I will never deny this point, each disease has each kind of disease pain, can not be compared with each other, I just from the perspective of medical science to let the public have a correct understanding, but also remind advocate media workers can do scientific reporting, correct publicity. Correct propaganda.
As a patient of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Mr. Shi has a very good understanding of motor neuron disease and has conducted a rigorous examination of the evidence.