What exactly does ALS stand for?   No clue? Ok GK Time. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — Lou Gehrig’s disease in North America, and rarely Charcot disease—is aneurodegenerative disorder with various causes. The term motor neuron disease (MND) is often used interchangeably with ALS, while others use it to refer to a group of similar conditions that include ALS. ALS is characterized by muscle spasticity, rapidly progressive weakness due to muscle wasting. This results in difficulty speaking, swallowing, and breathing. The disease usually starts around the age of 60, except in cases that are directly inherited when the usual age of onset is around 50. The average survival from onset to death is three to four years. Only 4% survive longer than 10 years, although rare cases survive 50 years or more. Most die from respiratory failure in much of the world rates of ALS are unknown. In the United States, more than 5,600 are diagnosed every year, and up to 30,000 Americans are currently affected. ALS is responsible for 2 deaths per 100,000 people per year. So why are these celebs dunking themselves in icy cold water you ask? By taking part in the ice bucket challenge people all over the world have helped massively by donating and spreading awareness about this disease. So far the ALS community have received around 111.6 million in Ice Bucket Challenge donations! This is probably one of the most viral causes to go around this year, and it includes the fun factor and the humanity factor into it. So if you get nominated, don’t chicken out! Sometimes a little brain freeze is good for the soul 😛 PS – Don’t forget to donate!]]>