Beloved “Grey’s Anatomy” star Eric Dane has died at age 53, less than a year after he revealed he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” reads a statement from Dane’s family.
“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered alway.”
It was only April last year that he publicly shared his diagnosis, and in the past year fans have watched as the “Euphoria” star’s health declined — and he vocally advocated for more research and awareness.
“I started experiencing some weakness in my right hand, and I didn’t really think anything of it at the time,” he told Diane Sawyer in June. “I thought maybe I had been texting too much or my hand was fatigued. But a few weeks later, I noticed it had gotten a little worse.”
By then, he said, he left side was functioning — but his right had “completely stopped working.” He expected to lose the use of his left hand within a few months.
In September, he was pictured using a wheelchair and struggled to speak to a photographer. That month, he skipped the Emmy’s because he was in the hospital, “getting stitches put in my head.”
“ALS is a nasty disease,” he told the Washington Post.
Last month, he pulled out of an ALS event, citing “the physical realities of ALS” and not being “well enough to attend.”
What causes ALS?
ALS is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Known as Lou Gehrig’s disease in honor of the famed baseball player who died from the condition, ALS affects all genders and races, though it is slightly more common in men than women.
The typical age of diagnosis is between 40 and 70, but it can present earlier.
There are two primary types of ALS: sporadic and familial.
Sporadic ALS is the most common form of the disease, accounting for 90% of all cases. Sporadic ALS occurs randomly without genetic cause or family history.
About 5–10% of ALS cases are familial, meaning that two or more people in a family have ALS. These cases are caused by several inherited factors. The most common is in a gene called SOD1.
Specific risk factors for ALS have not been conclusively identified, but research is exploring the role of genetics and environmental factors on the development of ALS. Studies have suggested that smoking tobacco may heighten a person’s risk for ALS.
What is the life expectancy for people with ALS?
People battling the disease typically live between three and five years after diagnosis. However, many patients with ALS far exceed these numbers.
The ALS Association reports that about 10% of people diagnosed with ALS live at least 10 more years, while about 5% live at least 20 years or longer. An outstanding example is physicist Stephen Hawking, who lived with ALS for more than 50 years after his diagnosis.
Dane had not shared when exactly he was diagnosed.
What are the symptoms of ALS?
Initially, ALS can present as slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, and/or limb weakness that persists for several days or weeks. ALS does not affect the senses or cognitive function.
As the disease progresses, common symptoms grow to include:
- Muscle stiffness, cramping or twitching, particularly in the extremities
- Loss of motor control in the hands and arms
- Severe fatigue
- Slurred speech and difficulty projecting the voice
- Difficulty using arms and legs
- Tripping and falling
- Facial weakening
- Uncontrollable periods of laughing or crying
- Difficulty breathing and swallowing
- Partial to total paralysis
For most patients with ALS, the disease will advance over the course of three to five years, hindering the ability to voluntarily move the arms and legs. For others, the decline is more or less accelerated.
The disease ultimately paralyzes the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. Most ALS patients die from respiratory failure.
How is ALS diagnosed?
While there is no specific test to diagnose ALS, providers will often order screenings like a magnetic resonance imaging scan, spinal tap, muscle or nerve biopsy and/or electrodiagnostic tests to rule out other conditions.
Is ALS treatable?
There is no known cure for ALS. Treatment consists of managing symptoms and may include physical, occupational, speech, respiratory as well as whirlpool and nutritional therapies.
A ventilator may be used for those who experience impairment of the diaphragm and difficulty breathing.
In the summer of 2014, the “Ice Bucket Challenge” went viral on social media, with countless celebrities filming themselves having a bucket of ice water poured over their heads. The campaign aimed to raise awareness and encourage donations to fund research for treatments.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the medications riluzole, edaravone and sodium phenylbutyrate/taurursodiol for use in improving short-term survival and stalling the physical decline in patients with ALS.
Celebrities with ALS
ALS affects an estimated 30,000 Americans.
In addition to Eric Dane and Stephen Hawking, other celebrated people who have suffered from ALS include Aaron Lazar, John Driskell Hopkins, Eric Stevens, Joe Bonsall, Roberta Flack and Kenneth Mitchell.
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