What is the difference between ALS and PLS?

ALS is the abbreviation for Lou Gehrig’s disease. PLS is the abbreviation for Primary Lateral Sclerosis. The significant difference between ALS and PLS are the motor neurons involved and the rate of the disease progression. ALS is fatal, killing an affected person within a few years, while PLS does not cause death. In ALS, both upper motor neurons and lower motor neurons are unaffected. PLS only affects the speech, legs, and arms of the patient, while ALS affects most parts of the body, excluding the eyes, bladder, and a few other parts.

In PLS, the area affected is the corticospinal system. With ALS, all regions of the body are affected. When someone has Lou Gehrig’s disease, muscle wasting occurs in most parts of the body. However, this is not the case when someone has Primary Lateral Sclerosis.