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Is ALS Hereditary And Passed Onto The Children?

Posted on Fri, 20 Mar 2015

Question: I am a 57 year old female and I have 2 children 40 and 29. When I was 41 I found out that my grandfather died from familial ALS. Since then I have had an aunt also die from it. My mother has passed away but not from ALS. The day I found out at age 41 changed my life forever and I fear getting ALS or passing it on to my children every day. For that reason I have never told either of my children about the familial ALS so they do not have to live with that fear everyday. Is there any medical reason I should tell them.

Answered by Dr. Ajay Panwar (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
There is essentially no medical reason for doing so.

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being on healthcaremagic.com.
I am Dr.Ajay Panwar,a neurologist,here to answer your query.

I have heartful sympathy with you and I offer my prayers to God,well wishing for your family.

I have understood your question precisely and the logical and medically correct answer to your question is that-There is no medical reason that you should tell your children about the family history of ALS because even if they know,and try to get the predisposition by genetic testing(which also,otherwise has variable penetrance and even if positive,is not confirmatory that disease will develop),they will not be able to help themselves much clinically as the treatment options are limited and the management is mainly symptomatic.So,if it has to be symptomatic management and prior knowledge of predisposition will not make a change to the ultimate outcome,I don't think so that there is a valid medical reason to let them know this fact.This will just creep a lot of stress in their minds.

So,just leave it upto God.Keep your fingers crossed and let them live their life freely.If sometimes the symptoms occur in future,symptomatic management is all that we can do.Nothing to be done before the symptoms develop as there is no preventive medicine.

Hope I have answered your query.If you have some follow up questions,I shall be glad to answer else,please close the thread-rate it and write a review.

Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj

Follow up: Dr. Ajay Panwar (11 minutes later)

Thank you so much for your response, it is completely what I needed to hear. The guilt I have been living with over this dilemma I can now put to rest. They both have children and I feel in my heart they would have still had children had they known. As a mother I want to protect my children from everything in my power to let them live a happy and fearless life. Thank you for your prayers. One last question about myself, because I have a mitral valve prolapse does this increase my risk of getting the disease.

Answered by Dr. Ajay Panwar (18 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Mitral valve prolapse does not increase the risk.

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being in follow-up.

Thanks for appreciating the response.
Mitral valve prolapse,as if today,does not increase the risk of getting ALS,unless the ever emerging genetics finds out some common mutant gene culprit for having an association for both.
Essentially and practically,risk is not increased.

Hope I have answered your query.If you have some follow up questions,I shall be glad to answer else,please close the thread-rate it and write a review.

Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj