Article (Transfusion -- March 8, 2012): The United States Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Study: Evidence for Vector-borne Transmission of the Parasite That Causes Chagas Disease Among United States Blood Donors.
The ALS Association says the average lifespan of someone diagnosed with the condition is between two and five years. More than 50 percent make it past year three. Twenty percent make it past year five. From there, the number plummets. Less than 5 percent make it past two decades.
However, for people who are over the age of 70 when the disease begins, the number of men compared to women with ALS is nearly the same. 1 ALS is a disease of aging; as the U.S. population increases and ages, an increase in the prevalence can be anticipated.