Lou Gehrig’s Disease: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Have you ever heard about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)? ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a disease that results in muscle weakness and paralysis caused by the death of nerve cells. ALS is a rare disease—approximately 60,000–380,000 people are diagnosed with ALS each year all over the world. ALS is considered an age-associated disease, as symptoms usually appear after age 50. Despite being studied for the last 100 years, the causes of ALS remain unknown, and there is still no effective treatment or cure. ALS symptoms worsen quickly, and affected individuals become entirely dependent on caretakers. People with ALS typically die within 1–3 years following diagnosis. Awareness campaigns like the Ice Bucket Challenge can raise interest in ALS and money for studying—and hopefully one day curing—this rare and terrible disease.