What is Als? Symptoms, Life expectancy of Eric Dane’s diagnosis

Actor Eric Dane, 52, discovered this week that he was diagnosed with amiotrophic side sclerosis, also known as Als or Lou Gehrig.

“I have been diagnosed with Als. I am grateful to have my family loved by my side while sailing on this next chapter,” Star “Euphoria” and “Gray’s Anatomy” in a statement to people on Thursday.

Along with his wife of two decades, Rebecca Gayheart, 53, Dane has two children, Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13.

“I feel lucky to be able to continue working and I look forward to returning to the Euphoria group next week,” he added. “I kindly ask you to give my family and I privacy during this time.”

What causes Als?

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, ALS is a fatal, progressive neurodegeneous disease affecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Known as Lou Gehrig’s disease in honor of the famous baseball player who died of the disease, ALS indiscriminately affects all sexes and races, though it is a little more common in men than women.

The typical age of the diagnosis is between 40 and 70, but can occur earlier.

There are two main types of ALS: sporadic and family.

ALS sporadic is the most common form of the disease, which accounts for 90% of all cases. Sporadic als occurs by chance without genetic cause or family history.

In contrast, about 5-10% of the ALS cases are family, which means 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 finally identified, but research is exploring the role of genetics and environmental factors in ALS development. Research has suggested that tobacco tobacco can increase a person’s risk for ALS.

longevity

People who fight the disease usually live between three and five years after the diagnosis. However, many patients with ALS exceed these numbers.

ALS Association reports that about 10% of people diagnosed with ALS live at least 10 years longer, while about 5% live at least 20 years or longer. An extraordinary example is physicist Stephen Hawking, who lived with ALS for more than 50 years after his diagnosis.

In his statement, Dane did not split when he was diagnosed.

What are the symptoms of ALS?

Initially, ALS can present as a clumsy speech, difficulty swallowing and/or limb weakness that persists for several days or weeks. ALS does not affect the senses or cognitive function.

As the disease progresses, the usual symptoms grow to include:

• Muscle stiffness, cramps or cracks, especially in extremities
• Loss of motor control in hands and arms
• Fatigue
• Speech and difficulty in sound design
• Difficulty using wings and legs
• Violation and fall
• Weakening
• Uncontrollable periods of laughter or crying
• Difficulty in breathing and swallowing
• Partial up to total paralysis

For most patients with ALS, the disease will progress over 3 to 5 years, preventing the ability to voluntarily move the arms and feet. For others, the decline is more or less accelerated.

The disease ultimately paralyzes the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. Most patients with ALS die from respiratory failure.

How is ALS diagnosed?

While there is no specific evidence to diagnose ALS, providers will often order appearances such as a MRI scan, spinal tap, muscular or nervous biopsy, and/or electrodiagnostic tests to rule out other conditions.

Is Als handle?

There is no known cure for Als. Treatment consists of managing symptoms and may include physical, professional, speaking, breathing, whirlpool and nutritional therapy.

A fan can be used for those who experience diaphragm damage and difficulty breathing.

In the summer of 2014, the “ice bucket challenge” went viral on social media, with countless celebrities presenting themselves having a bucket of ice water poured on their heads. The campaign intended to raise awareness and encourage donations to finance the research for treatment.

The FDA has approved riluzole, edavarone and phenylbutyrate sodium/taurursodiol drugs for improving short -term survival and stagnation of the physical decline of patients with ALS.

Famous with Als

ALS affects about 30,000 Americans.

In addition to Eric Dane and Stephen Hawking, other celebrated individuals who have suffered from ALS include Aaron Lazar, John Driskell Hopkins, Eric Stevens, Joe Bonsall, Roberta Fuck and Kenneth Mitchell.