ALS: FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

ALS was first discovered in 1869 by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. It is not a contagious disease.

But it wasn’t until 1939 that American baseball player Lou Gehrig brought attention to the disease that was said to have killed him. Therefore, ALS was also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

ALS usually strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis.

A little over 6,000 people in the US are diagnosed with ALS each year.

While the average survival time is 3 years, about 20% of people with ALS live five years, 10% will survive 10 years and 5% will live 20 years or more.

In Thailand, according to the 2014 data, there were around 100 ALS patients receiving treatment at the Prasat Neurological Institute in that year, 24 of whom were in-patient cases.

In 2014, an effort to help raise funds for ALS patients worldwide through the ALS Association, an American NGO established in 1985 to fight ALS on every front, sparked a global campaign called the Ice Bucket Challenge, whereby people poured a bucket of ice water on themselves and donated to the ALS Association.

Luminaries like Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates, along with entertainers like Steven Spielberg, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Lopez. participated the Ice Bucket Challenge. The campaign went viral in many countries, including Thailand.

More than $220 million was raised globally through the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Stephen Hawking’s book A Brief History Of Time, his life and his struggle with ALS inspired the 2014 film The Theory Of Everything, with Eddie Redmayne winning the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of the scientist.