Fecal microbiota transplantation improved respiratory failure in two patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
- Researchers have shown that fecal microbiota transplantation can improve breathing difficulties in patients with Lou Gehrig’s disease.
- Two patients received two cycles of fecal microbiota transplantation.
- They breathed better, had greater muscle strength, which even allowed them to walk and stand again.
In France, 7,000 people are affected by Charcot’s disease, according to The Brain Institute. Currently, there is no curative treatment for this neurodegenerative disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is characterized by progressive paralysis with fatal outcomes.after 3 to 5 years of evolution on average“, according to National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). Generally, the death of patients is due to damage to the respiratory muscles.
ALS: a fecal transplant using stool from a healthy donor
In a new study, published in the journal Gut Microbesresearchers have shown that fecal microbiota transplantation can improve their breathing difficulties. To do this, they report the case of two patients with Charcot’s disease.
The first patient was 71 years old. His symptoms included loss of appetite (with weight loss), limb weakness, difficulty breathing, speech, and swallowing. The second patient was 76 years old and had progressive limb weakness, loss of appetite (with weight loss), and difficulty breathing and swallowing.
Both patients underwent two cycles of fecal microbiota transplantation, using fresh stool from a healthy 28-year-old female donor. For the second cycle, the stool was stored at -80°C.
Fewer symptoms of Lou Gehrig’s disease thanks to fecal transplant
According to the results, theThe first patient was breathing better and had greater muscle strength that even allowed him to stand. The second patient’s breathing improved and he was able to eat again, without choking, which allowed him to gain 5 kilos. He could also sit up on his own, walk – for short periods – and write. For both patients, these two cycles of fecal microbiota transplantation led to “when weaned from mechanical ventilation.”
Next, the authors analyzed the composition of the patients’ gut microbiota. They were more similar to those of the donor, with an increase in two particularly important bacteria of the genus Bacteroides And Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.
In the long term, fecal microbiota transplantation could therefore be a solution to improve the symptoms of patients with Lou Gehrig’s disease. But before that, further studies must be conducted to confirm these results.
