Eric Dane suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Als). The revelation was made by the “Gray’s Anatomy” actor in an interview with People magazine.

“I have been diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my favorite family on my side as we move on to this new chapter in our lives. “says the famous actor.

The 52 -year -old actor is married to Rebecca Gayheart and the couple has two children, Billie Beatrice, 15 years old, and Georgia Geraldine, 13.

“I feel lucky to be able to continue working and looking forward to returning to ” Euphoria ” next week. I kindly ask you to leave my family and me in our privacy during this period. “says the actor with disarming honesty.

Dane – who starred as the Patriarch of the Jacobs family in ” Euphoria ” – will begin production of the 3rd season of the successful HBO series on April 14.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s diseaseit is a rare degenerative disease that causes progressive muscle paralysis. Patients initially have contractions or weakness at one end, often followed by a confused speech. Because the disease affects nerve cells in the brain and spine that control muscle movement, patients are slowly losing their ability to speak, eat, walk and breathe independently.

Eric Dane

There is no cure for ALS and people usually live three to five years after diagnosis, according to the association of muscle dystrophy. However, some patients can live decades.

In addition to Dane, other remarkable stars diagnosed with ALS are Aaron Lazar, John Driskell Hopkins, Eric Stevens, Joe Bonsall, Roberta Flack, Kenneth Mitchell and Stephen Hawking.

ALS is the 3rd frequency of neurodegenerative disorder, after Alzheimer’s and Parkinson. It occurs at a frequency of 1 in 100,000 people each year. The risk is greater in men. The main appearance is 50 to 75 years, and after 80 years the risk is dramatically reduced.

The symptoms of ALS

The main symptoms are:

  • Muscle weakness and paralysis: weakness in hands and feet, chewing and swallowing muscle atrophy, inability to support trunk and head and finally, respiratory muscle atrophy
  • Muscle cramps
  • Mental and behavioral disorders (30-50% of patients): memory loss, aphasia and antisocial behavior
  • Pain: in the form of neuropathic pain, spasticity, muscle cramps, but also due to bedtime