Zeitschrift für Alzheimer-Krankheit und Parkinsonismus

Abstrakt

Man-in-A-Barrel: Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis Misdiagnosed as Rotator Cuff Injury in a Military Veteran

Melissa Stockton-Brown

Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder defined by its effects on both Upper Motor Neurons (UMN) and Lower Motor Neurons (LMN). ALS typically spares other neurologic functions (sensory, autonomic, etc), however case reports show rare instances of extrapyramidal, cerebellar, sensory and autonomic degeneration. ALS has an estimated annual prevalence of approximately 4 to 6 per 100,000 in the United States. While it most common in adult men (with age of onset typically between 40 and 70), ALS can affect anyone. ALS has an annual prevalence of approximately 4 to 6 per 100,000 in the United States. Its relative rarity as well variable clinical presentation can make diagnosing ALS a challenge. Here we discuss the case of one patient who had received several other diagnoses, both orthopedic and neurologic in nature, prior to the eventual diagnosis of his atypical presentation of ALS.