What is ALS? Symptoms, causes and life expectancy as Eric Dane announces diagnosis
Actor Eric Dane, 52, revealed this week that he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.“I have been diagnosed with ALS.I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter,” the “Euphoria” and “Grey’s Anatomy” star said in a statement to People on Thursday.Together with his wife of two decades, Rebecca Gayheart, 53, Dane has two children, Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13.“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week,” he added.
“I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, ALS is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.Known as Lou Gehrig’s disease in honor of the famed baseball player who died from the disease, ALS indiscriminately affects all genders and races, though it is slightly more common in men than women.The typical age of diagnosis is between 40 and 70, but it can present earlier.There are two primary types of ALS: sporadic and familial.Sporadic ALS is the most common form of the disease, accounting for 90% of all cases.
Sporadic ALS occurs randomly without genetic cause or family history.Conversely, about 5–10% of ALS cases are familial, meaning that two or more people in a family have ALS.These cases are caused by several inherited factors.
The most common is in a gene called SOD1.Specific risk factors for ALS have not been conclusively identified, but research is exploring the role of genetics and environmental factors on the development of ALS.Research has suggested that smoking tobacco may heighten a person’s risk for ALS.People battling the disease typically live between three and five years after diagnosis.
However, many patients with ALS far exceed these numbers.The ALS Association reports that about 10% of people diagno...