Eastern Townships health officials have launched an investigation into Lou Gehrig’s disease cases in the region after a Windsor, Que., woman alerted them that nearly 20 residents have the disease.

The Center intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l’Estrie, The regional health department said in an email Wednesday that it is working to review whether or not the proportion of people affected by the disease in the region is concerning. This process could take weeks.

“At this point, it is far too early to make any assumptions,” the health authority said in an unsigned email. “We want to keep a broad overview to evaluate the different possible sources.”

The Journal de Montréal first reported the story.

If controllable environmental factors are identified as triggers, public health would consider conducting another, more complex study that could take several years, the emailed statement said.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes loss of muscle control.

Windsor, Que., resident Julie Dubois said her husband, Marco Brindle, died of ALS last January.

Through word of mouth, she learned of 18 people suffering from the disease in Windsor and the surrounding area.

“That’s when I said, ‘That’s enough!'” Dubois said. “When I pulled out the statistics I had, it took less than half an hour for the health department to call me back.”

Dr. Angela Gange, director of the ALS program at the Montreal Neurological Institute and a professor at McGill University, will serve as a consultant on the research.

A person can inherit ALS through a mutated gene, but it can also develop in someone with no family history of the disease.

If there are no clear factors for the development of ALS, the case is considered sporadic – the type that all 18 people Dubois mentioned to health authorities appear to have, Gange said.

She noted that while studies have found that professional American football players and members of the U.S. military are at increased risk of developing ALS, the exposure that caused them to develop the disease is not yet known.

“In none of these cases, we don’t know what part they were exposed to, whether it was physical contact, or whether they were exposed to pesticides or other chemicals that could cause ALS,” Gange said, referring to the athletes and veterans who who suffer from the disease.

Claudine Cook, executive director of the ALS Society of Quebec, said there is a need for more research into the deadly disease.

“The only way to do more research is to have more funding,” Cook said.

“Until there is a cure, until there is an effective long-term treatment that stops ALS, ALS Quebec is here to support families at every stage of the disease.”

With files from Radio-Canada’s Sarah-Kate Dallaire and Brigitte Marcoux, Emilie Richard and Guillaume Renaud, prepared by Holly Cabrera