“The first symptom that emerged was cramping in my left hand. Around the same time, my golf game became worse. That was in 1994. In the spring of 1995, I fell hard while running. The ALS diagnosis came in the fall,” said editor-turned-columnist, Rich Brooks. With a 20-year journalism stint under his belt, Brooks has been writing a column for the south central Florida newspaper, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, for the past eight years. His frequent subject: ALS issues and how it affects his family, among other topics such as stem cell research and disability subjects.

What is ALS?

ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease,” is a progressive and fatal illness that affects the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. This, in turn, affects motor control of voluntary muscle movements such as hand, foot or head gestures. Over time, these motor neurons die, leaving the affected muscle atrophied. The result is paralysis of that particular body part.

ALS is one of the most common neuromuscular diseases in the world. It knows no socioeconomic, ethnic or racial boundaries. It can strike anyone at any time, although 60 percent of patients are men. Ninety-three percent are of Caucasian descent, and the disease mostly appears in people between the ages of 40 and 70 years of age. Less common are cases that involve 20- and 30-year olds. There are also reports that military veterans, especially those who served in the Gulf War, are two times more likely to be diagnosed with ALS than their civilian counterparts.

Possible Causes

Though researchers aren’t exactly sure what causes ALS, 5 to 10 percent of all cases can be traced through a family’s lineage – including genetic ties and the possible transference of a gene mutation. This type of ALS is called “familial ALS” or FALS. One thing researchers know about FALS is that symptoms and other markers are nearly identical to ALS.

The other 90 to 95 percent of ALS cases are considered “sporadic ALS” or SALS. This is defined as ALS that affects just about anyone, anywhere. The cause of SALS is not known, but some theorize a mix of environmental and genetic factors may be to blame.