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Environmental and Occupational solvents exposure and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Abstract

Studies focusing on the association between environmental and occupational solvent exposure and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have yielded inconsistent results. Herein we present the results of a meta-analysis on the correlation between solvent exposure and ALS. We searched for eligible studies that reported ALS with exposure to solvents in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science up to December 2022. The Newcastle–Ottawa scale was used to evaluate the quality of the article and a meta-analysis was performed using a random effect model. Thirteen articles, including two cohort studies and 13 case–control studies with 6365 cases and 173,321 controls were selected. The odds ratio (OR) for the association between solvent exposure and ALS was 1.31 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11–1.54) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 59.7%; p = 0.002). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses confirmed the results, and publication bias was not detected. These results indicated that environmental and occupational solvent exposure was associated with the risk of ALS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The First People’s Hospital of Lianyungang, 6 Zhenhua East Road, Lianyungang, 222061, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Guoqiang Zhang

  2. Yangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 52 Shangfangsi Road, Yangzhou, 225001, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Meng E & Xin Zhou

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  2. Meng E
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Contributions

Guoqiang Zhang and Xin Zhou conceived the study. Meng E participated in the statistical analysis. Guoqiang Zhang and Meng E drafted the article. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xin Zhou.

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E. Meng contributed equally and are the co-first authors of this article.

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Zhang, G., E, M. & Zhou, X. Environmental and Occupational solvents exposure and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurol Sci 44, 2803–2809 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-023-06718-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-023-06718-8

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