‘Grey’s Anatomy’ actor Eric Dane’s diagnosis raises awareness for ALS
Lou Gehrig is an early example of people wanting to know more about rare diseases due to celebrity diagnoses
WEATHER. PRODUCTION STARTS THIS WEEK ON THE HIT HBO SHOW EUPHORIA, STARRING ERIC DANE, AND TODAY MARKS ONE WEEK SINCE HE PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ALS, ALSO KNOWN AS LOU GEHRIG’S DISEASE THAT AFFECTS THE NERVE CELLS IN THE BRAIN AND SPINE, CAUSING PROGRESSIVE PARALYSIS OF THE MUSCLES. PATIENTS TYPICALLY EXPERIENCE TWITCHING OR WEAKNESS IN HANDS, FEET, OR LEGS TO START, AND SOMETIMES SLURRED SPEECH. THERE IS NO CURE FOR ALS, BUT THERE ARE SOME TREATMENTS THAT CAN SLOW DOWN ITS EFFECTS. A NEUROLOGIST WITH NOVANT HEALTH, DOCTOR MICHAEL VEREEN, SAYS CELEBRITY DIAGNOSES, WHILE SCARY, CAN BRING AWARENESS TO RARE DISEASES LIKE THIS, AFFECTED LOU GEHRIG WHEN HE WAS ONLY 36 AND STILL PLAYING FOR THE YANKEES. SO IT’S A DISEASE THAT, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN’T IT DOESN’T CARE. YOU KNOW HOW FAMOUS YOU ARE OR HOW RICH YOU ARE OR HOW POOR YOU ARE. IT CAN AFFECT ANYONE. AND HE SAYS TO CONTACT YOUR PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THOSE POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS, THE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR A PERSON DIAGNOSED WITH ALS IS 2 TO 5 YEARS. THER
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ actor Eric Dane’s diagnosis raises awareness for ALS
Lou Gehrig is an early example of people wanting to know more about rare diseases due to celebrity diagnoses
Updated: 8:41 AM EDT Apr 17, 2025
When actor Eric Dane revealed his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the world took notice. Novant Health neurologist Dr. Michael Verenes said this has been happening with this degenerative disease since it got the other name it’s known as: Lou Gehrig’s disease. Gehrig was diagnosed at 36 years old, when he was playing for the New York Yankees. He ended up having to retire from baseball due to the condition. “It’s a disease that doesn’t care how famous you are, how rich you are, how poor you are,” Verenes said. “It can affect anyone.”Patients with ALS typically first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, often followed by slurred speech. Because the disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spine that control muscle movement, Vergenes said patients slowly lose their ability to speak, eat, walk, and breathe independently.There’s no cure for ALS, and people usually live three to five years after diagnosis, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Vergenes said the peak diagnosis age is around 60 or 70 years old, but cases also pop up in young adults. “The fact that it doesn’t discriminate is why it resonates with people, because it affects all of us,” Vergenes said.Dane is already back to work, in production on the set of hit HBO show, “Euphoria,” one week after his announcement.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —When actor Eric Dane revealed his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the world took notice. Novant Health neurologist Dr. Michael Verenes said this has been happening with this degenerative disease since it got the other name it’s known as: Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Gehrig was diagnosed at 36 years old, when he was playing for the New York Yankees. He ended up having to retire from baseball due to the condition.
“It’s a disease that doesn’t care how famous you are, how rich you are, how poor you are,” Verenes said. “It can affect anyone.”
Patients with ALS typically first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, often followed by slurred speech. Because the disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spine that control muscle movement, Vergenes said patients slowly lose their ability to speak, eat, walk, and breathe independently.
There’s no cure for ALS, and people usually live three to five years after diagnosis, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Vergenes said the peak diagnosis age is around 60 or 70 years old, but cases also pop up in young adults.
“The fact that it doesn’t discriminate is why it resonates with people, because it affects all of us,” Vergenes said.
Dane is already back to work, in production on the set of hit HBO show, “Euphoria,” one week after his announcement.
