Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a Possible Sequela of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Irsa Munir MD¹, Talha Mehmood MD¹ and Isabel M. McFarlane^1,

¹Department of Internal Medicine, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y, U.S.A-11203

Cite this paper:
Irsa Munir MD, Talha Mehmood MD and Isabel M. McFarlane. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a Possible Sequela of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. American Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2019; 7(10):230-235. doi: 10.12691/ajmcr-7-10-3

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder with progressive deterioration of both upper and lower motor neuron functions. It is a rare disease with one study demonstrating a prevalence of 3.9 cases per 100,000 in the USA in the year 2010-2011. It is a fatal disease with most of the deaths resulting from respiratory failure. There is no cure of this illness with some evidence supporting an improved median survival by two to three months with Riluzole (one of the agents used for treatment). Not much is known about the possible etiologies of ALS, a few studies have shown a possible likely association of ALS with various malignancies. Here we present an interesting case of a 35-year-old female with a diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia for seven years presented with a sub-acute decline in her motor function.

Keywords:
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis chronic myeloid leukemia Riluzole

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