Quick Facts

•  There are 30,000 people in the U.S. living with ALS at any given time.

•  Over 90 percent of those diagnosed have no family history. Between five and 10 percent of those diagnosed have a family history of ALS, which is referred to as familial ALS.

•  ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries.

•  Approximately 5,600 individuals are diagnosed annually.

•  The cause of ALS is unknown.

•  There is no cure, but more research is currently being funded than ever before.

•  ALS usually strikes those between the ages of 40 and 70, with the peak age at 55.

•  Although the life expectancy of an ALS patient averages about two to five years from the time of diagnosis, this disease is variable and many people live quality lives for five years or more.

•  More than half of all those affected live more than three years after diagnosis.

•  ALS is five times more common than Huntington's Disease and just as common as Multiple Sclerosis.

•  More people die each year from ALS than from Huntington's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis.

•  A one month prescription for Rilutek, the only known drug to slow progression, is $800.

•  There are approximately 700 patients living with ALS in North Carolina.