Boomer Health: Is ALS breakthrough imminent?

Maybe youve already dumped chilled water atop your head and encouraged friends and loved ones to do likewise by taking the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Or, perhaps inspired by seeing the innumerable videos of people doing the Ice Bucket Challenge, youve made a donation to the cause, thereby contributing to the unprecedented tens of millions of dollars that this grassroots initiative has raised.

Regardless, its likely youve heard more about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka Lou Gehrigs disease in the past month than the world had in the 75 years combined since the Yankees Hall of Famer made his legendary luckiest man on the face of the earth retirement speech.

Of course, we here at The Post are all too familiar with ALS. Our colleague, former award-winning courts reporter and best-selling author Susan Spencer-Wendel, succumbed at age 47 to the neurodegenerative condition earlier this summer, three years after being diagnosed.

What is ALS?

ALS is a progressive, invariably fatal disease that disables the bodys motor neurons which are specialized nerve cells in the brain and spine. Experts believe that, in 90 percent of ALS cases, the cause is sporadic meaning there is no identifiable origin. Though the symptoms are initially subtle twitching, cramping and/or general weakness in the muscles those stricken with the disorder eventually lose all voluntary motor function, and are effectively paralyzed.

Typical life expectancy for a person diagnosed with ALS: three to five years. Statistically speaking, the disease is rare, with just 5,000 new cases diagnosed annually in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Health.

The only FDA-approved medication for ALS riluzole (brand name: Rilutek) may help extend ALS patients life expectancy by a few months by prolonging the period until patients need to be put on ventilators. But it doesnt repair damage to motor neurons.

Promising new treatment

There may be encouraging news in regard to slowing the progression of ALS in those already afflicted.

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Boomer Health: Is ALS breakthrough imminent?