Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord; making even the simplest movements such as walking, speaking, gesturing, nearly impossible.
Approximately 30,000 individuals in the United States are afflicted with ALS at any given time, with 5,000 cases appearing each year. As ALS progresses the patient experiences difficulty in swallowing, talking and breathing. ALS strikes people regardless of race, sex, age or ethnicity. Research indicates that military veterans are approximately twice as likely to develop ALS as those who have not served in the military.
ALS has no known cause, means of prevention or cure and finding the causes of, and cure for, ALS. A National ALS patient registry, administered by the Centers for Disease Control, is currently identifying cases of ALS in the United States and may become the single largest ALS research project ever created.
ALS Awareness Month increases the public’s awareness of ALS patients’ circumstances and acknowledges the terrible impact this disease has not only on the patient but on his or her family and the community and recognizes the research being done to eradicate this horrible disease.
Raising public awareness of this disease will facilitate the discovery of a cure, bring much-needed dollars for support and services for families dealing with ALS.
