Rare diseases, Sabatelli (Aisla-Nemo): “ALS can be cured, a big step forward in research”

“Science has made an important step forward, even if a small percentage of patients with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, can still benefit from therapy. The number of patients is not important, what is important is that we have broken down a wall that seemed invincible. ALS can be cured: if we have done it for some, we can do it for many and research must proceed quickly, because this is a battle that must be won and quickly”. He said Mario Sabatelli, clinical director of the Nemo-Gemelli Center in Rome and president of the Medical Scientific Commission of Aisla, the Italian Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association, on the occasion of the 17th National ALS Day.

It is “a particular disease, which does not allow you to move, does not allow you to speak, does not allow you to swallow and does not allow you to breathe. The assistance must be equally complex, high-tech and unfortunately also high-cost. These people deserve this attention because it improves the quality and duration of life and today must keep the light on a topic that is often overlooked”.

Referring to the initiative to light up Italian monuments and municipalities in green, in his testimony as a patient councilor of Aisla Lazio, Enzo Proietti, underlines the importance of “bringing the color green to all the squares of Italy and, above all, to bring to the attention of all those suffering from this devastating disease. We need all those who are close to us to give us the strength to go forward and fight this disease – he emphasizes – The request to the institutions is to invest a lot in research, which is fundamental, while the request to associations like Aisla, which help us a lot, is the closeness and affection to give us the strength to go forward, to fight this disease. It is very important – he concludes – to have the closeness of friends, relatives and acquaintances to give us strength”.