 Facts & Figures
• ALS,
a motor neuron disease was first discovered in 1869 by
the noted French neurologist Jean Martin Charcot
• The cause and cure of ALS are presently unknown
• ALS affects each person differently
• ALS is not contagious
• It is estimated that ALS is responsible for one out of
every hundred thousand deaths in people over 20
• Over 5,000 people in the U.S. are newly diagnosed with
ALS each year or approx. 15 people per day
•
The incidence of ALS is 7 X higher than Huntington’s
disease, 4 X higher than Muscular Dystrophy and about equal
to Multiple Sclerosis
• ALS is not a rare disease and occurs throughout the world
with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries
• The financial cost to families of persons with ALS is exceedingly
high. Care can cost up to $200,000 per year. Entire savings
of relatives and patients are quickly depleted because
of the extraordinary costs involved in the care of ALS
patients
• Treatment is aimed at symptomatic relief, prevention of
complications, and maintenance of maximum functioning and
optimal quality of life.
• There
is only one FDA approved drug, Rilutek, to slow the progression
of the disease. There are a number
of other medications to help relieve symptoms of ALS.
• The
average age of ALS onset is 55. ALS can affect people
at any age, and cases have been found in persons
as young as 12 and as old as 98.
• Three types of ALS:
- Sporadic - the most common form of ALS in the United
States - 90 to 95%
- Familial - occurring more than
once in a family lineage - only 5 to 10%
- Guamanian - an extremely high incidence of ALS was observed in Guam and
the Trust Territories of the Pacific in the 1950's.
• Every 90 Minutes a Person is Diagnosed with ALS
• Every 90 Minutes a Person Loses the Battle with ALS
• 6 out of 10 ALS Patients are Men
• 4 out of 10 ALS Patients are Women
• Men with military service are at nearly a 60% greater risk
of developing ALS than an average civilian
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