1 week Ago By Kitty Chrisp
Eric Dane has been diagnosed with ALS, which is the most common form of MND (Picture: Gilbert Flores)Eric Dane, who stars in Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria, has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dane, 52, who shares two children Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13, with wife Rebecca Gayheart, is able to continue working at this stage, though the rare neurodegenerative disease has no cure. ALS – the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND) – affects parts of the nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement.
Over time, function is gradually lost. Muscles become weak and eventually nonfunctional, leading to disability and eventually death. Those diagnosed with the nervous system disease usually have an average of three years to live.
However, about 20% of people with ALS live five years, 10% survive 10 years and 5% live 20 years or longer, according to The ALS Association. What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)? According to the NHS, ALS is the most common form of MND and accounts for about 60 to 70% of the total MND cases. Men are more commonly affected than women.
In this type of MND, both the upper motor neurones and lower motor neurones degenerate at the same time. Symptoms and signs depend upon the area of the body where the muscles are affected first (e.g.
arm or leg) and can include muscle wasting, weakness, stiffness, cramps and rippling of the muscles, known as fasciculations. Over time, as ALS progresses, different areas of the body become involved. Involvement of the muscles controlling speech, swallowing and breathing can also occur.
‘I have been diagnosed with ALS,’ Dane told People. ‘I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.’ ‘I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week,’ he explained.
‘I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.’ This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon..
. Check back shortly for further updates.If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.
co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected].
uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.For more stories like this, check our entertainment page.Follow Metro.
co.uk Entertainment on Twitter and Facebook for the latest celeb and entertainment updates. You can now also get Metro.
co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
.
