Actor Eric Dane's death from ALS sparks urgent focus on rapid decline

Eric Dane’s decease has sparked conversations astir the velocity and severity of ALS.

Also known arsenic Lou Gehrig’s disease, the progressive unwellness — officially called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — is debilitating and fatal. 

While lone astir 5,000 radical successful the U.S. are diagnosed each year, the mean beingness expectancy is conscionable 2 to 5 years, according to the ALS Association.

Dane, who astir famously starred arsenic Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan connected ABC's "Grey’s Anatomy," announced his diagnosis successful April 2025, telling "Good Morning America" successful June that his archetypal symptoms began arsenic "some weakness" successful his close hand.

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"I didn't truly deliberation thing of it," the histrion said. "At the time, I thought possibly I'd been texting excessively much, oregon my manus was fatigued. But a fewer weeks later, I noticed that it got a small worse."

"I'm warring arsenic overmuch arsenic I can," Dane added. "There's truthful overmuch astir it that's retired of my control."

Eric Dane starred arsenic Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan connected "Grey's Anatomy" for 7 seasons. (Bob D'Amico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

What is ALS?

ALS is simply a progressive illness wherever the encephalon loses transportation with the muscles, according to the ALS Association. This dilatory strips a person’s quality to walk, talk, eat, dress, write, speak, swallow and, eventually, breathe.

Early signs see musculus weakness, stiffness and cramping. Symptom progression and severity are antithetic for each case, arsenic the relation notes determination is "no azygous timeline for ALS."

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The illness lone impacts centrifugal neurons controlling voluntary movement, truthful the 5 senses — sight, touch, hearing, sensation and odor — are not affected, nor are the oculus muscles oregon bladder control.

ALS symptoms typically statesman with musculus weakness successful the precocious extremities. (iStock)

Many ALS patients stay "mentally alert and aware" passim the disease, the ALS Association reported.

Diagnosis typically occurs successful radical betwixt the ages of 40 and 70. About 20% of patients unrecorded 5 years oregon longer. Only astir 5% unrecorded longer than 20 years.

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ALS is typically diagnosed by a neurologist with an electromyography trial (EMG), but tin besides beryllium detected by humor and urine tests, spinal taps, MRIs and different imaging scans, musculus and nervus biopsies, oregon neurological exams.

There is presently nary cure oregon attraction to halt illness progression, though determination are treatments to dilatory and easiness symptoms, per the ALS Association.

ALS tin beryllium diagnosed by a neurologist done assorted forms of testing. (iStock)

Fox News elder aesculapian expert Dr. Marc Siegel joined "Fox & Friends" connected Friday to sermon the prevalence of ALS, suggesting that cases person accrued owed to "something successful the situation that we don’t cognize yet."

While ALS is 10% genetic, according to Siegel, 90% of cases bash not person a familial link, pointing toward different hazard factors similar biology toxins.

"We're learning to personalize the attack to this disease."

"It's a musculus weakness illness — affecting nerves that innervate muscles — and usually it starts connected 1 side," the doc shared. "Then you make fatigue ... You could spot a quivering lingua oregon your limb is quivering, usually 1 broadside and past the different side."

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As the weakness progresses, it impacts code and yet attacks the diaphragm, making it hard to afloat inflate the lungs.

"That’s what happened to [Dane], astir likely," Siegel said. "So, it progresses from your arms, your legs, your speech, your swallowing quality and past your breathing."

Rising research

ALS progresses "pretty rapidly successful astir cases," Siegel said. While idiosyncratic Stephen Hawking lived 55 years with the disease, Dane "probably lived astir 2 years with it," the doc surmised.

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"I privation to constituent retired however courageous [Dane] is — helium really was progressive with Target ALS, wherever helium was warring for caller research," Siegel pointed out. "We're learning to personalize the attack to this disease, and that's the aboriginal — and helium fought for that."

Actor Eric Dane is photographed astatine the St. Regis successful Washington, D.C., connected Sept. 30, 2025. "I privation to constituent retired however courageous [Dane]," said Dr. Marc Siegel. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

"We request a batch of wealth for probe for this — [Dane] was asking for a cardinal dollars from the government."

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Various probe groups and infirmary systems are actively moving connected caller ALS therapies that instrumentality a personalized approach, Siegel shared.

The estimated outgo to make a cause that would dilatory oregon halt illness progression is $2 billion, the ALS Association has reported. The yearly estimated out-of-picket outgo for attraction is $250,000.

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Funding for ALS probe and consciousness has been connected the emergence for years, with the viral societal media ALS Ice Bucket Challenge making a splash successful 2014. 

The challenge, supported by the ALS Association, was intended to boost awareness. It yet raised $115 cardinal toward ALS probe and diligent care.