The mystery of why some people develop ALS

This month, the world received the news that Bryan Randall had died. He was a professional photographer and the partner of the actor Sandra Bullock, who met him on the job while he was taking portraits at a family party. Sadly, three years ago, at the age of 54, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic-lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehring disease after the American baseball player who developed the condition in 1939.

Despite claiming numerous high-profile victims over the years – including young, otherwise healthy people – the mystery of what causes ALS remains. However, recent research has uncovered some clues. Could we finally be on track to decoding this devastating condition?

ALS is a form of motor-neurone disease (MND). It is a debilitating and painful condition in which the motor neurons – cells that control voluntary muscle movement – are gradually lost, leading to people slowly losing control of their bodies. A recent review of the available data estimated that it affects somewhere around five people per 100,000 in the US.

The disease occurs more commonly in men and the average age of diagnosis is about 60 years old, though it can also affect people who are significantly younger. While most people live only a few years after the diagnosis, there are notable exceptions, including the physicist Stephen Hawking who was diagnosed with a form of MND at 21 and died in 2018 at the age of 76.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230825-the-mystery-of-why-some-people-develop-als

My Israeli friend's mother had it for 27 years.