when a family is considered as FALS ?

[nida1976]

when a family is considered as FALS if u have more than one relative with als in one generation or in more than one generation ?
My mothers two brothers died from als both at same age but my mother and her sister are 66 years and 60 and both healty, so is it possible to pass to me or to my cousins the Gene that cause the diseace ?

 

[Nikki J]

It is considered FALS when 2 people who are first or second degree relatives have ALS. So yes brothers having ALS are FALS
A first degree relative is parent, child or full sibling. A second degree relative is one step removed from that an aunt, a grandparent.

It is assumed that your two uncles had an aberrant gene. One they presumably inherited from a parent. Their full sisters ( your mother and aunt) and any children your uncles had have a 50 percent chance of carrying the gene but also 50 percent chance of not. If they do not carry the gene they can not give it to their children. Your risk would be non existent. If your mother carries the gene your chance is again 50/50.
If your uncles died at an age considerably younger than your mother/aunt's current age then that is a very encouraging sign

 

[Nikki J]

And I now see I previously explained your odds to you

 

[nida1976]

So if my mother or aunt have that gene should get sick from it sooner or later or she can just carry the gene without get sick from it ? I really don't understand how it works. And if she just carry the gene without getting sick she can pass it to me ?

 

[affected]

Nida there is a really informative sticky post explaining all this at the top of this forum section.

I'm so sorry you have seen this in your family twice, I hope that sticky helps you work through it. A genetic counsellor would be a good start for you I think, to help you work through your thoughts and look at options for finding out.

I can't talk personally to this as my husband was sporadic, so can only refer you to the sticky as Nikki knows this side of things inside out, sadly.

 

[Nikki J]

Unless someone else gets ALS and there is an identified gene to be tested for you are going to have to learn to live with uncertainty. The older your mom gets without this the more optimistic I would be but there are cases of " obligate carriers" people in a family tree who surely carried the defect yet lived a long life without ALS. Not common but it happens. No one can give you a 100 percent guarantee. Right now your odds are probably less than 25 percent. You can't change your family tree. Right now you and your mom don't have ALS you may not have any increased risk treatments for ALS and especially FALS are coming. Don't waste your time on what may never happen