Welcome to the ALS Society of Saskatchewan
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease. People living
with the disease become progressively paralyzed due to degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons in the
brain and spinal cord. Eighty per cent of people with ALS die within two to five years of diagnosis– unable to breathe or
swallow. Ten per cent of those affected may live for 10 years or longer.
Other neurodegenerative diseases include Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease. According
to the World Health Organization, neurodegenerative diseases are predicted to surpass cancer as the second leading
cause of death in Canada by 2040.
ALS has no known cure or effective treatment yet. For every person diagnosed with ALS, a person living with ALS dies.
Approximately 2,500 - 3,000 Canadians currently live with this fatal disease.
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