Twitches and ALS

[joycecaroll]

I´ve had muscle twitches comming and going. One time I had a quad muscle twitching for over 24 hours, but then it went away. Can ALS twitches come and go like this?

[joycecaroll]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer!

I've had similar fascis in my tongue, are these of any concern?

I've read that a study showed that 6% of people with BFS actually have ALS, is there any truth to this?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
ALS fasciculations can be localized or generalized, but usually weakness of muscles and fasciculations affect the same area, usually a limb. Fasciculations are usually a sign of lower motor neuron disease, and occur due to depolarization of a lower motor neuron causing twitch in the skeletal muscle being supplied by it. They can come and go with periods of no activity in between.
ALS like symptoms can be due to fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, severe anemia, spinal nerve compression high up in the cervical spine, ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritic changes of the vertebrae, calcium deficiency, low Vit D, electrolyte disturbance, multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes or hypothyroidism or due to bad posture. Lyme and lupus are the other possibilities.
Fasciculation without weakness are unlikely to be due to ALS. Please consult your doctor regarding this. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.