The guide was prepared with the support of Cephalon, a pharmaceutical manufacturer. When a Loved One Has ALS can be ordered through your local MDA office, listed in the phone directory. MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors. Those affected gradually lose the abilities to move, to speak, to swallow and to breathe, while retaining full mental awareness.
Life expectancy is typically two to five years after diagnosis.
ALS strikes men and women, usually between ages 40 and 60, though the 30,000 Americans affected by it range from late teens to the elderly. Its cause isn't fully understood. A drug that can slow disease progression was developed with MDA support and is on the market, and others are being tested. MDA grantees are exploring all leads to causes of ALS and potential treatments. The disease is popularly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the New York Yankees first baseman who lost his life to the disorder in 1941.