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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Epidemiology and Risk Factors

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Acquired Neuromuscular Disorders

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease of motor neurons, invariably leading to progressive paralysis and death in 3–5 years from onset. ALS has an annual incidence of 2/100,000 and a prevalence of 6/100,000. The disease is more common in males and in Caucasian ethnicities and its incidence rises with advancing age. Age at onset and site of onset (bulbar vs. spinal) are the two main prognostic factors in ALS. The only certain risk factors for ALS are positive family history, male gender, and advancing age; among environmental factors, cigarette smoking is supported by the most robust evidence, whereas others are less well documented. However, most epidemiological studies on environmental risk factors in ALS are limited by methodological flaws. Future researches should be performed according to more stringent criteria and on larger cohorts, and they should also aim to capture the complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors in ALS pathogenesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, P.le Brescia 20, Milan, 20149, Italy

    Federico Verde & Nicola Ticozzi

  2. Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono 7, Milan, 20122, Italy

    Federico Verde & Nicola Ticozzi

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  1. Federico Verde
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  2. Nicola Ticozzi
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Correspondence to Nicola Ticozzi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neuromuscular Center, IRCCS Fondazione San Camillo Hospit, Venice, Italy

    Corrado Angelini

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Verde, F., Ticozzi, N. (2016). Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Epidemiology and Risk Factors. In: Angelini, C. (eds) Acquired Neuromuscular Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29514-5_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29514-5_16

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