Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

UI Health Care providers specialize in treating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease

For Neurology related requests:

For all other requests:: 1-800-777-8442

The team at the University of Iowa Health Care ALS Clinic offers expertise and care, whether you’re diagnosed here or are seeing us for a second opinion.

We’re a multidisciplinary ALS clinic. This means we have multiple experts with different medical backgrounds working together for you. When you receive care from a multidisciplinary team, each specialist uses their expertise to recognize and address your symptoms right away. This means a better quality of life for you.

As an academic medical center, we offer you the opportunity to be part of clinical trials for new treatments. While there’s currently no cure for ALS, you’ll have access to therapies that aren’t yet widely available.

Our clinic is set up for your comfort and convenience. Our care team focuses on your—and your family’s—physical and emotional needs from every angle.

ALS symptoms and diagnosis

ALS is a progressive disease of the nervous system that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

The disease attacks nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements. Over time, the muscles weaken, causing a range of disabilities and loss of movement.

Symptoms

Symptoms of ALS usually come on gradually. They might include:

A tired, heavy feeling in your arms and/or legs
Overall fatigue and weakness
Stumbling or tripping
Slurred speech
Dropping things
Muscle twitching or cramping

How ALS is diagnosed

For diagnosis or a second opinion, your first stop at Medical Center at the University Campus will be the neurology clinic.

There isn’t a specific test that diagnoses ALS, so the neurology team will likely run tests to rule out other conditions. These might include:

An electromyogram (EMG) to measure how well electrical impulses travel through your nerves
A neurological examination
Blood and urine tests
Imaging, including X-rays and MRIs

How ALS progresses

ALS gets worse over time, although you might have periods when your symptoms hold steady. The disease eventually affects movement, speech, swallowing, and breathing.

ALS is a fatal disease, but it progresses at different rates for everyone.

ALS treatment at UI Health Care

There is no treatment that can stop ALS from progressing or reverse damage to nerve cells. Care for ALS involves controlling your symptoms, maximizing your independence, and making it easier for you to live with the disease.

Your customized care plan might include:

Medications for symptoms such as muscle cramps and excess saliva
Physical and occupational therapy to teach you exercises for mobility and strategies for daily living
Speech therapy for speaking and swallowing, and for using technology to communicate when talking becomes difficult
Respiratory therapy to teach you techniques for breathing and coughing, and mechanical ventilation to help you breathe
Nutrition therapy to help you maintain a healthy diet and get enough calories
Assistive devices for daily living, including mobility devices such as a walker or motorized wheelchair, home modifications such as ramps and grab bars, and other specialized in-home equipment
Genetic testing to see whether your ALS is the type that can be inherited (true in about 10% of cases)
Counseling to help you and your family cope with the difficulties of living with ALS

Your care team

You’ll be treated by providers who have special training in managing ALS, including:

Neuromuscular physicians
Pulmonologists
Physical and occupational therapists
Speech pathologists
Respiratory therapists
Orthotists
Dietitians
Psychologists
Social workers
Genetic counselors

The team works together and collaborates with you and your family to build your care plan.

They’ll also work with your primary care provider, therapists, home health care professionals, and others to make sure you get the care and equipment you need while at home.

A clinic centered on your needs

You can get your ongoing care at our ALS clinic locations in Iowa City or the Des Moines area. Most people visit the clinic every two to three months. The period between your clinic visits may be longer or shorter, depending on your needs.

Both locations are set up to make your visits as convenient and streamlined as possible. Each time you visit, you’ll have one appointment in one location, so you don’t have to travel to multiple offices. You’ll stay in a single room for your three- to four-hour visit, and all your providers will come to you.

Every appointment will be tailored to your symptoms, questions, and concerns. You’ll have one contact person you can call or message through the MyChart online portal.

Access to the latest innovations in treatment

You’ll have access to the most advanced treatments for ALS. UI Health Care is the only system in Iowa where you can take part in clinical trials for new ALS therapies and treatments.

Because our clinic is part of an academic medical center, many of our specialists are also researchers seeking to advance ALS diagnosis and treatment. You may be eligible to participate in trials of new therapies before they’re available anywhere else.

Neurologist

Ludwig

Gutmann

MD

Neurology

4.39 out of 5 (659 ratings)

Christopher S.

Nance

MD

Neurology

4.58 out of 5 (1,047 ratings)

Andrea

Swenson

MD

Neurology

4.74 out of 5 (806 ratings)

Physical Therapist

Jeffery

Wagenaar

PT, DPT

Rehabilitation Therapies

Speech-Language Pathologist

Serena

Chipara

MS, CCC-SLP

Otolaryngology

Need help finding an ALS specialist?

When you call 1-319-356-2572, we’ll help you find a provider who meets your needs in either our Iowa City or Des Moines locations. Our team offers diagnosis, treatment, and second opinions.

Call 1-319-356-2572

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

ALS symptoms and diagnosis