Physicist Stephen Hawking in hospital

Stephen Hawking , the renowned physicist and possibly the longest surving person with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, has been hospitalized with what is reported to be a chest infection. The 67-year-old Hawking was diagnosed with ALS when he was 21 years old.

Apparently, Hawking has been ill with this infection for a while now but is now in hospital for further treatment. According to the article, Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking is hospitalized , a spokesman will be issuing an update tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

While it’s not been said anywhere, usually this type of chest infection is pneumonia. And, for someone with a neurological disease like ALS, these infections can be fatal. As ALS progresses, the people lose control of their various muscles and ability to function.

The symptoms of ALS may be ignored at first or originally thought to be something else. They can include muscle weakness, twitching or stiffness of certain muscles, or even slurred speech or difficulty swallowing. Not all people with ALS experience the same symptoms at first because they depend on what part of the body is first affected.

As the muscles become weaker, the ability to breathe is compromised and, most often, people with ALS die of respiratory arrest (breathing stops) than anything else.

There is no cure yet for ALS. Statistics show that about half of those with ALS will die within three years of diagnosis, 20 percent for five years, and 10 percent for 10 years.

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Image: Newscom.com