ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease after its most famous sufferer, is a disease that causes the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. As the disease progresses, muscle control throughout the body is lost and paralysis results. ALS does not affect a person's mind or cognitive abilities. According to the ALS Association, approximately 5,600 people are diagnosed with ALS in the United States each year.