“We are deeply saddened to report the death of our beloved father,” reads a statement released Wednesday morning by Lucy, Robert and Tim, the children of popular scientist Stephen Hawking, who died early this morning at his Cambridge home at the age of 76.
Hawking, considered by many the best-known scientist on the planet, will go down in history for his contributions to the study of the origin of the universe and the formation of black holes.
Diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) since the age of 22, a neurodegenerative neuromuscular disease, he managed to overcome the prognoses that predicted a life expectancy of a maximum of one or two years.
What is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)?
ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the motor nerve cells of the brain, spinal cord and brainstem, resulting in muscle atrophy and a loss of motor skills.
It usually affects people between 40 and 70 years of age, and is more prevalent in men. However, although more and more is known about the nervous system, the causes of ALS remain unknown to this day, although it is estimated that one in ten is due to a genetic problem or defect.
What are the symptoms of ALS?
The symptoms of ALS vary from person to person, although the first symptoms of the disease are usually the following:
- Weakness in the extremities
- Progressive loss of strength
- Loss of muscle mass
- Spasms, cramps
- Drooping of the head due to loss of strength in the neck muscles
Treatment of ALS
The disease progresses irregularly, sometimes developing over years, coexisting with periods of stability. On the other hand, it sometimes progresses rapidly, evolving with complete paralysis and a life expectancy of only three years. Survival in more than five years is around 20% of cases, and only 10% live more than a decade.
To this day, it continues to be a disease of unknown origin and incurable, although recent work with glutamate blocking agents and certain growth factors give hope to the scientific community with a view to halting the progression of the disease.
For more information, consult a specialist in Neurology.