Prevalence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - United States, 2014

What is already known about this topic? Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease. Familial ALS, a hereditary form of the disease, accounts for 5%-10% of cases; the remaining sporadic cases have no clearly defined etiology. What is added by this report? A total of 15,927 persons were identified as having definite ALS across three national databases (Medicare, Veterans Health Administration, and Veterans Benefits Administration) and through web portal registration for 2014. The estimated ALS prevalence for 2014 was 5.0 cases per 100,000 population, the same as 2013 estimate. What are the implications for public health practice? Through ongoing enhancements and expanded outreach and promotion, the National ALS Registry has the potential to expand ALS research and detect more ALS cases in the United States. © 2018, Department of Health and Human Services. All rights reserved.