MND = ALS?? What is the distinction between ALS and MND?

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micmon

New member
Joined
Apr 18, 2021
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6
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
04/2021
Country
US
State
TX
City
Weatherford
Are ALS and MND the same thing? I understood that ALS was within a group of diseases called MND, but I see and hear the two terms being used interchangeably. I hope someone can help clarify this for me. I am just two weeks after diagnosis and am still learning the language. Thanks
 
Hi micmon-

Sorry you find yourself here, but glad you found us.

Here's a link to the commonly used acronyms and terms used here: Terms and Acronyms , which does explain things. To muddle things a bit, they use MND in the UK to refer to ALS, so perhaps that's where you're finding some confusion.
 
Think of MND at the the top of a tree. Underneath are all of the MND. They include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progressive bulbar palsy (PBP), pseudobulbar palsy, progressive muscular atrophy (PMA), primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and monomelic amyotrophy (MMA), as well as some rarer variants resembling ALS.
 
Post-polio and Kennedy's (SBMA) are on the list as well. Here is a good summary.
 
Ask an English doctor and they say MND (motor neuron disease) is the same as ALS in the Northen American sphere. Canadians, we know it as either or.
 
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