ALS Center of Excellence

Pranger ALS Clinic

  • Home
  • About
    • What Is ALS?
    • Scott L. Pranger
    • National Advisory Board
    • Faculty & Staff
    • ALS Center of Excellence Brochure
  • Clinic
    • Services
    • Your Visit to the ALS Clinic
    • Patient Portal
    • Durable Medical Equipment
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Research
    • Clinical Trials
    • Observational Studies
    • Participate in Research at U-M
  • News
  • Patient Care Guide
    • Living with ALS
    • Nutrition
    • Patient & Family Support
  • Contact
  • NeuroNetwork
  • Make A Gift

Latest News

ALS Risk Higher Among Production Workers

… [Read More...]

“Research Into Preventing ALS…”

… [Read More...]

portrait of Dr. Eva Feldman in her lab

Dr. Feldman Given Highest University of Michigan Honor

… [Read More...]

Multidisciplinary Team Publishes Paper on ALS Occupational Risk

… [Read More...]

The ANA Q&A: Dr. Eva Feldman on ALS

… [Read More...]

Dr. Feldman Featured on PBS Grand Rapids Family Health Matters

May 15, 2019

Dr. Eva Feldman, Director of the ALS Center of Excellence at Michigan Medicine, joined a panel to discuss ALS for “Family Health Matters,” which is a series produced by WGVU, the PBS affiliate in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In addition to Dr. Feldman, the program featured Sherry Schuen, who receives care at the U-M Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic, and Catie Matzka, the wife of Scott Matzka who received care at U-M and passed away due to ALS in 2018. The 30-minute show originally aired on May 5 as part of WGVU’s programming to highlight ALS Awareness Month.

Some of Dr. Feldman’s comments include:
“Michigan has one of the highest prevalences of ALS in the country. The Midwest has the highest. Between Michigan and Ohio we have more ALS patients than any other state, per capita.”

“We’re interested in why such a high prevalence in Michigan. Why are we essentially the No. 1 state in the country? We’re beginning to understand that. We think that the environment plays a very large part. Michigan is both an industrial and agricultural state, so we have a lot of toxins and pollutants in our environment. We have 65 uncleaned Superfund sites, which are toxic dumps, in the state of Michigan, compared to 39 in Ohio and Indiana with 40. We think there’s an environmental hit and if you have a genetic predisposition then you’re more likely to develop the disease.”

“There are at least eight different sub-types of this disease. Different people present differently. Some people present just with a weak arm or a leg. Some people present just with difficulty speaking. The tempo of the disease, how it progresses over time, really depends on the presentation.”

“We now know that about 15-20% of this disease is inherited and runs in families. There is something called a polygenic risk score. Little pieces of multiple genes may make you more susceptible to developing ALS if you have an second insult, such as an environmental insult.”

“My hope for the future is that with continued research we can understand what causes the disease. We’re much closer now than we were 10 years ago, so progress is being made. My hope is that there will be continued funding for the research by the government and by foundations. My hope is that our patients will continue to engage with us in trying to understand what causes the disease and how we can better treat the disease and how we can better understand all different aspects of the disease. Of course, my big hope is for a cure! It will always be that way.”

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: News

Newsletter Signup

Subscribe to our mailing list for updates regarding our clinic and research

Click Here for the ALS Registry

ALS Center of Excellence at Michigan Medicine ALS Infographic

ALS Brochure

ALS Brochure

 

 

 

 

 

Resources

Organizations

  • ALS Association
  • ALSA-Michigan Chapter
  • Ann Arbor Active Against ALS
  • ALSA-Northern Ohio Chapter
  • ALS of Michigan
  • National ALS Registry
  • Northeast ALS Consortium
  • Muscular Dystrophy Association

Services

  • Veterans Benefits
  • Social Security Benefits

Useful Links

  • U-M Stem Cell Research
  • Center for Stem Cell Biology
  • Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research
  • Society for Stem Cell Research

RSS Research News

  • U-M to establish new Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention
  • U-M Depression Center to be named for Eisenberg family, in recognition of $30M in giving
  • Research on aging expands at U-M with $15M in new grants

Contact Information

Michigan Medicine
1500 E. Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Phone: 734-936-4000
Contact Michigan Medicine

Connect With Us

Copyright © 2023 Regents of the University of Michigan · Disclaimer · Privacy Statement

  • About UMHS
  • For Patients
  • For Health Professionals
  • For Researchers
  • Home
  • About
    ▼
    • What Is ALS?
    • Scott L. Pranger
    • National Advisory Board
    • Faculty & Staff
    • ALS Center of Excellence Brochure
  • Clinic
    ▼
    • Services
    • Your Visit to the ALS Clinic
    • Patient Portal
    • Durable Medical Equipment
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Research
    ▼
    • Clinical Trials
    • Observational Studies
    • Participate in Research at U-M
  • News
  • Patient Care Guide
    ▼
    • Living with ALS
    • Nutrition
    • Patient & Family Support
  • Contact
  • NeuroNetwork
  • Make A Gift