About ALS

What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating, progressive neuromuscular disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which affects a person’s ability to move certain muscles.

No cure has yet been found for ALS. Average life expectancy, without mechanical ventilation, is two to five years from diagnosis. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries, typically striking men and women between the ages of 35 and 70. Over 5,000 Americans are diagnosed with ALS each year. Between 5 and 10% of those cases are familial, occurring more than once within a single family line.

Why is ALS also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease?

In the United States, ALS is often called Lou Gehrig's disease because of New York Yankees' star and Baseball Hall of Famer, Lou Gehrig, who was diagnosed with ALS in the late-1930s. Gehrig, also known as "The Iron Horse," played in 2,130 consecutive games before he was felled by ALS in 1939. He died in 1941, at age 38.

What are the symptoms?

The earliest symptoms may include twitching, cramping, or stiffness of muscles; muscle weakness affecting an arm or a leg; slurred and nasal speech; or difficulty chewing or swallowing. These general complaints then develop into more obvious weakness or atrophy. Patients may begin to experience awkwardness when walking or running, notice that they are tripping or stumbling more often or experience difficulty with simple tasks requiring manual dexterity such as buttoning a shirt, writing, or turning a key in a lock. Other patients notice speech problems.

How is ALS diagnosed?

ALS is a very difficult disease to diagnose. There is no single diagnostic test for ALS. Instead, it is typically diagnosed by ruling out all other possible causes of a patient’s symptoms, through an extensive series of tests.

How is ALS treated?

While a cure has yet to be found, in 1995 the Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug treatment for the disease—riluzole (Rilutek). Riluzole is believed to reduce damage to motor neurons by decreasing the release of glutamate.

What research is being done?

Though ALS was first identified in 1869, the cause, cure, or means to control the disease are still unknown. The ALS Association is the largest source of privately funded ALS research in the world and in 2005, the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the ALS Association donated nearly $1 million to the ALS research effort. The Chapter’s multifaceted research program includes peer-reviewed investigator-initiated scientific studies, cure-directed ALSA-initiated research, the Milton J. Safenowitz Fellowship Program, the Translational Research Advancing Therapy for ALS initiative (TREAT ALS) and scientific workshops.

For more information visit www.alsphiladelphia.org

To sign up a company as a corporate sponsor Click here or contact Suzanne Bruce or Ellen Brosso, co-founders of the SaVes4ALS program, at Corporate Synergies at 1-866-CSG-1719.