Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that negatively affects the functioning of the nerves and muscles. After the onset of the disease, it almost always progresses. Eventually this takes away a patient’s ability to walk, write, speak, or even breathe, significantly shortening the person’s lifespan. The disease is not contagious, and how it progresses will vary from person-to-person.
Information. There are two different types of Lou Gehrig’s disease, familial and sporadic. The latter of which is the most common form. Sporadic ALS accounts for nearly 95 percent of all recorded cases and can affect anyone, anywhere, at any time. Familial, by contrast, means that the disease is inherited genetically. A parent with the gene has a 50 percent chance of passing on the mutation to his/her children.
