The fact that former 49ers wide <a href="http://www.dusenadup.com/paul-soliai-jersey-c-1_28.html">http://www.dusenadup.com/paul-soliai-jersey-c-1_28.html</a> receiver Dwight Clark played nine seasons in the NFL and has been diagnosed with ALS could raise eyebrows in the medical community.

However, unlike many of the ex-football players who share his diagnosis, Clark’s age does not hint at the possibility his condition is connected to head trauma. Instead, Clark, 60, is among the majority of those with ALS who are diagnosed later in life.

“In terms of (Clark’s) age, around 60 to 70 is a textbook age where you would expect to make a diagnosis,” said Dr. Dr. Ilan Danan, a sports neurologist at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. “When you start to see it in patients, particularly athletes, that are in their 30s and 40s, that’s where it becomes much, much <a href="http://www.hl-sapporo.com/daryl-worley-jersey-c-1_15.html">http://www.hl-sapporo.com/daryl-worley-jersey-c-1_15.html</a> more alarming. That is certainly not the norm.”

As noted in this Chronicle story, the link between head trauma and ALS remains controversial in the medical community. However, the number of former NFL players who have been diagnosed at a relatively young age has strengthened the belief there could be a cause-and-effect relationship.

Former Saints safety Steve Gleason, 40, announced he had ALS in 2011. Raiders running back Steve Smith, 52, was diagnosed in 2002; linebacker O.J. Brigance, 47, was diagnosed in 2007 and safety Orlando Thomas, who died at 42 in 2014, announced he had ALS in 2007.

Gleason announced he had ALS less than four years after his final NFL game.

“When you think about someone <a href="http://www.hssmstore.com/daryl-worley-jersey-c-1_39.html">Daryl Worley Authentic Jersey</a> who is diagnosed at such a young age, barely removed from his playing career, there’s no question that’s when it becomes a lot more alarming,” Danan said. “And that’s when I think it causes more of a stir, not just among athletes or the NFL, but certainly the general public and the media. And, I think, rightfully so.”

Clark’s age suggests he has Sporadic ALS, which is by far the more common form of the disease.

“There is a Sporadic and Genetic ALS,” said Dr. Santosh Kesari, the chairman of Neurosciences and Neurotherapeutics at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica. “More than 90 percent are sporadic meaning it’s just bad luck, not a genetic disease. And that usually occurs — the age of onset is around 60.

“The genetic version of ALS usually occurs in the 50s. So (Clark is) at the right age for the traditional, sporadic ALS - the cause of <a href="http://www.ky-oo32.com/graham-gano-jersey-c-1_23.html">Graham Gano Womens Jersey</a> which is really unknown. And brain injury is associated with this, but it’s not a clear, conclusive fact that that’s the cause.”