Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurological syndrome in which motor neurons degenerate relentlessly. Although the site of onset and the rate of spread have been studied extensively, little is known about whether focal as opposed to diffuse disease affects prognosis. We therefore tested the hypothesis that regionality of disease burden is a prognostic factor in ALS. We analysed clinical data from two large multicentre, longitudinal trials. Regionality was defined as the difference in progression rates in three domains as measured by the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale, omitting the respiratory domain from analysis. We used death by trial end as the outcome variable and tested this by logistic regression against predictor variables including regionality and overall rate of disease progression. There were 561 patients. Regionality of disease was independently associated with significantly higher chance of death by study end (odds ratio most diffuse against most focal category 0.354 (0.191, 0.657), p = 0.001), with a direct relationship between degree of regionality and odds of death. We have shown using clinical trial data that focal disease is associated with a worse prognosis in ALS. Measures of regionality warrant further independent consideration in the development of future prognostic models.

Original publication

DOI

10.3109/21678421.2015.1051987

Type

Journal article

Journal

Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener

Publication Date

2015

Volume

16

Pages

442 - 447

Keywords

ALSFRS-R, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, phenotype, prognosis, spread, Adult, Aged, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Bulbar Palsy, Progressive, Disease Progression, Female, Humans, Logistic Models, Lower Extremity, Male, Middle Aged, Muscle Weakness, Odds Ratio, Prognosis, Respiratory Muscles, Survival Rate, Upper Extremity