How effective are treatments for ALS?
The prognosis for individuals diagnosed with ALS varies from person to person. A few people show very slow disease progression and may live 10 to 20 years following diagnosis. However, the average life span from the time of diagnosis is 3 to 5 years. In a review of the literature on survival duration, a number of predictors were found, including the following: • age at time of onset • classification of initial symptoms (spinal, bulbar) • pulmonary function The older the individual is at the time of diagnosis, the shorter his or her life span with the disease. Patients who present with initial spinal symptoms have a three times greater survival rate at the end of 5 years than those with initial bulbar symptoms. Respiratory status is an important predictor of survival duration. Eventually, when the muscles in the diaphragm and chest wall become too weak, patients require a ventilator to breathe. Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure, usually 3 to 5 years after being diagnosed
