▾ MYTH 1: ALS only affects older people

ALS can strike any one at any age, though the most common age range is 40-70.

▾ MYTH 2: ALS is contagious

ALS is not an infection and is not caused by infections or other bacteria. See Myth 3 for more.

▾ Myth 3: ALS is caused by Lyme disease or other infections

ALS is not caused by any type of other disease or infection. This common misconception is due to the fact that some ALS symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle weakness, and muscle twitches, are also symptoms of other conditions. As a result, the disease is commonly misdiagnosed.

▾ Myth 4: ALS is discriminatory

ALS can affect people of all races and ethnicities. It affects both men and women.

▾ Myth 5: Stephen Hawking didn't have ALS

Stephen Hawking did have ALS, as the disease progresses in each person differently. Scientists aren't quite sure how he lived so long, but there are two possibilities:

1. Developing the disease at a young age (he was diagnosed at 21) causes it to progress slower
2. The motor neurons running his diaphragm (breathing muscles) and the motor neurons along his swallowing muscles did not deteriorate

Read more about Stephen Hawking and ALS from the Washington Post and from Scientific American.

▾ Myth 6: ALS affects only motor activity

It isn't completely known whether ALS may affect more than just motor activity. In the Washington Post, Dr. Jeffrey Rothstein says: "This is a long-standing myth held by physicians and patients: that ALS patients’ minds remain sharp as their bodies deteriorate. But newer studies show that about 20 to 30 percent of patients develop a mild cognitive impairment, while a very small number, about 5 to 10 percent, get severe dementia."