Hello doctor,My grandfather died of ALS and now I am having signs of it. He is the only one that we know of that had it in the family. So my first question is what is the chances of me getting it? Second question is I twitch in my left arm, left hand, left leg, left calve non-stop. Sometimes I get it on my right side but it is more frequent on the left side. So is this BFS? I had a clean EMG three months ago but I have started twitching more and have more weakness/soreness. If I had an EMG but did not twitch during the EMG would it had still picked up ALS or does the EMG just work when you twitch?The last thing is my vastus lateralis muscle on my left leg twitches non stop for six months and gets a painful soreness sometimes. Could this be ALS?
Hello. I understand your concerns. ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is familial in only 10 % of the cases. The diagnosis is mainly clinical (with characteristic symptoms). EMG AND NCS (nerve conduction studies) may help in the diagnosis, symptoms include: 1. fasciculations (muscle twitches) in the arm, leg, shoulder, or tongue. 2. muscle cramps. 3. tight and stiff muscles (spasticity). 4. muscle weakness affecting an arm, a leg, neck or diaphragm. 5. slurred and nasal speech. 6. difficulty chewing or swallowing. If you have some of these symptoms, neurological examination is required. For more information consult an internal medicine physician online -->