ALS support group to offer information

BEIJING - Beijing has established the nation's first support group for sufferers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare disorder characterized by rapidly progressive muscle weakness and atrophy, to deliver information and help patients improve their quality of life.

A joint effort of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA) and the Peking University Third Hospital, the group will host 10 patients each Thursday for a 2.5-hour meeting, according to Fan Dongsheng, who heads the hospital's neurology department.

"The club will provide information, support and consolation for sufferers of the incurable disease, whose quality of life needs to be greatly improved," he told China Daily at the launch of the association.