Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis


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Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Established risk factors for ALS include:

  • Heredity. Up to 10 percent of the people who have ALS inherited it from their parents. If you have this type of ALS, your children have a 50-50 chance of developing the disease.
  • Age. ALS most commonly occurs in people between the ages of 40 and 60.
  • Sex. Before the age of 65, slightly more men than women develop ALS. This sex difference disappears after age 70.

It may be that ALS, similar to other diseases, is triggered by certain environmental factors in people who already carry a genetic predisposition to the disease. For example, some studies examining the entire human genome (genome-wide association studies) found numerous genetic variations that people with ALS held in common, and that might make a person more susceptible to ALS.

Environmental factors under study that may modify a person's individual risk of ALS include:

  • Smoking. Smoking cigarettes appears to increase a person's risk of ALS to almost twice the risk of nonsmokers. The more years spent smoking, the greater the risk. On the other hand, quitting smoking can eventually lower this increased risk to that of a nonsmoker.
  • Lead exposure. Some evidence suggests that exposure to lead in the workplace may be associated with the development of ALS.
  • Military service. Recent studies indicate that people who have served in the military are at higher risk of ALS. Exactly what about military service may trigger the development of ALS is uncertain, but it may include exposure to certain metals or chemicals, traumatic injuries, viral infections and intense exertion.
Complications Causes
References
  1. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/amyotrophiclateralsclerosis/detail_amyotrophiclateralsclerosis.htm. Accessed Sept. 28, 2010.
  2. Elman LB, et al. Clinical features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 28, 2010.
  3. Maragakis NJ, et al. Epidemiology and pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 28, 2010.
  4. McCluskey L. Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 28, 2010.
  5. Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed Sept. 28, 2010.
  6. ALS in the military: Unexpected consequences of military service. ALS Association. http://www.alsa.org/files/pdf/als_military_paper.pdf. Accessed Sept. 28, 2010.
  7. Elman LB, et al. Diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 28, 2010.
  8. Galvez-Jimenez N, et al. Symptom-based management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 28, 2010.
  9. Choudry RB, et al. Pharmacologic treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Sept. 28, 2010.
  10. Why is exercise important? In: Everyday Life With ALS: A Practical Guide. Muscular Dystrophy Association. http://www.als-mda.org/publications/everydaylifeals/ch8/. Accessed Sept. 28, 2010.
  11. Miller RG, et al. Practice parameter update: The care of the patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Multidisciplinary care, symptom management, and cognitive/behavioral impairment (an evidence-based review): Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 2009;73:1227.
  12. Miller RG, et al. Practice parameter update: The care of the patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Drug, nutritional, and respiratory therapies (an evidence-based review): Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 2009;73:1227.
  13. Covering all the bases. ALS Association. http://www.alsa.org/coveringallthebases/. Accessed Oct. 21, 2010.
  14. Armon C. Smoking may be considered an established risk factor for sporadic ALS. Neurology. 2009;73:1693.
  15. Gallo V, et al. Smoking and risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Analysis of the EPIC cohort. Annals of Neurology. 2009;65:378.
  16. Mayadev AS, et al. The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis center: A model of multidisciplinary management. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America. 2008;19:619.
  17. Crum BA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 6, 2010.
DS00359 Dec. 2, 2010

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