What we know about the causes of ALS as Eric Dane reveals his early symptoms
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Eric Dane has been raising awareness about ALS after going public with his diagnosis earlier this year.
The Euphoria and Grey's Anatomy star revealed in April that he'd been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) at the age of 52.
"I have been diagnosed with ALS," he shared in a statement to PEOPLE. "I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter."
Dane continued: "I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time."
Advert
The actor has since opened up about his ALS diagnosis and revealed the early symptoms he experienced, one of the first being weakness in his right hand.
Sadly there is no cure to ALS, but doctors may prescribe medication to patients like Dane that can slow the progression of the condition, in addition to offering physical therapy.
There also isn't a clear cause of the devastating illness that affects around 34,000 people in America as of 2025, per the National ALS Registry Dashboard.
It has been found that for around 10 to 15 percent of those with ALS it could be because it runs in the family. This is where a mutation in a particular gene will be passed through the generations.
This kind of ALS is known as familial ALS. There other type is sporadic ALS (people with no family history of the disease).
While genetics are a possible cause, it doesn't mean that you're certain to develop ALS if one of your parents, for example, were diagnosed with it.
It has also been suggested that prolonged exposure to potential environmental triggers might cause ALS.
Discussing this, Eva Feldman, a professor of neurology at the University of Michigan, said to the BBC earlier this year: "We suspected the presence of what we term the ALS 'exposome', which is the sum of toxic environmental exposures that increase risk."
Feldman and her colleagues found that prolonged exposure to organic chemical pollutants, metals, pesticides, particulate matter in dust from construction work and poor air quality might contribute to increasing a person's risk of developing ALS.
Neil Thakur, Chief Mission Officer of the ALS Association, added that there is some evidence that exposure to particulates from diesel and aviation fuel, particulates from burn pits, pesticides and aerosols may increase someone's risk of developing ALS as well.
Those are risk of being exposed to such things include farmers and construction workers, one 2017 study suggested. This particular paper concluded that diesel engine exhaust specifically was not associated with an increased risk of ALS, however.
The general consensus is that multiple factors play a part in someone developing ALS.
The ALS Association says: "For most people living with ALS, though, there are no clear genetic links to the disease. As our understanding of ALS has evolved, it is now thought that that a combination of things, including multiple genetic factors, environmental exposures, habits, and career choice, most likely contributes to the disease developing."