Table 1 Essential characteristics of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

  • Unfavorable prognosis

  • Survival time after onset 3–4 years

  • Progressive loss of voluntary muscle functions

  • In the course of the disease, most patients suffer from

   ➢  dyspnoe requiring ventilatory treatment

   ➢  dysphagia requiring enteral nutrition

  • Severe cognitive and behavioral impairment manifested as frontotemporal dementia (FTD) among 3–5% of patients