Does Stephen Hawking Really Have ALS?

[Ike_Witt]

@Chronos

And I’ve heard it speculated that what Lou Gehrig had might not, in fact, have actually been ALS.

@John_Mace

But I think we can definitively say he had Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Can we start calling ALS Stephan Hawkings disease?

[Boyo_Jim]

Not until we we know for sure he has it, and the OP certainly has doubts.

[KarlGauss]

In case anyone cares, the Scientific American article actually has a typo:

@Scientific American

The other classic syndrome is called progressive baldor palsy—or progressive supranuclear palsy. . .

(emphasis added)

The sentence should read, “The other classic syndrome is called progressive bulbar palsy—or progressive supranuclear palsy”. (with ‘bulbar’ referring to the brain stem)

[Smeghead]

@barbitu8

A logical fallacy of resorting to authority. Has our medical knowledge so complete now that we can say that because the “best doctors in the world” say he has it definitively means he does?

Well, OUR medical knowledge of his case here on the straightdope is pretty darned limited. Particular in comparison to the knowledge possessed by his doctors, ie, all of it. I’m fine siding with the best doctors in the world here.

[Martin_Hyde]

@Chronos

Actually, the official definition of ALS is probably based on things that physicians can and do observe directly in their diagnosis. Hawking has symptoms X, Y, and Z, and therefore by definition has ALS. The real question is whether there might not be two or more relatively unrelated diseases which all have those same symptoms, and are all lumped in as ALS, but even if that’s so, you might be able to say (for instance) that Lou Gehrig and Stephen Hawking have different diseases, but you still couldn’t say that the statement “Stephen Hawking has ALS” is false.

I’ve always heard that ALS is traditionally diagnosed via “exhaustion”, in that they basically have to rule a bunch of stuff out that can be diagnosed more directly and presents with similar symptoms before settling on ALS.

(I only know anything about ALS because of involvement with ALS charities, not through any expert level knowledge.)

The “About” page on the ALS Association website seems to suggest this is still how it is done:

ALS is a very difficult disease to diagnose. To date, there is no one test or procedure to ultimately establish the diagnosis of ALS. It is through a clinical examination and series of diagnostic tests, often ruling out other diseases that mimic ALS, that a diagnosis can be established. A comprehensive diagnostic workup includes most, if not all, of the following procedures:

electrodiagnostic tests including electomyography (EMG) and nerve conduction velocity (NCV)
blood and urine studies including high resolution serum protein electrophoresis, thyroid and parathyroid hormone levels and 24-hour urine collection for heavy metals
spinal tap
x-rays, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
myelogram of cervical spine
muscle and/or nerve biopsy
thorough neurological examination

[KneadToKnow]

@Ike_Witt

Can we start calling ALS Stephan Hawkings disease?

Man, I hate it when the sponsorship changes. I called Bank of America Stadium “Ericsson Stadium” the other day and people looked at me like I was crazy.

[Jake]

@KarlGauss

In case anyone cares, the Scientific American article actually has a typo:
(emphasis added)

The sentence should read, “The other classic syndrome is called progressive bulbar palsy—or progressive supranuclear palsy”. (with ‘bulbar’ referring to the brain stem)

Hey! Nice catch.

[JKellyMap]

@Martin_Hyde

I’ve always heard that ALS is traditionally diagnosed via “exhaustion”, in that they basically have to rule a bunch of stuff out that can be diagnosed more directly and presents with similar symptoms before settling on ALS.

(I only know anything about ALS because of involvement with ALS charities, not through any expert level knowledge.)

The “About” page on the ALS Association website seems to suggest this is still how it is done:

I can confirm this from more direct experience (stepfather, alas). And so it stands to reason that a disease which is diagnosed by process of elimination is more likely than most to actually be an umbrella term for what are really, in some sense, different diseases.