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Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk factors

Introduction

Overview

Overview

Common risk factors in the development and progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis largely remain unknown. Other common risk factors associated include: Age, Smoking, oxidative stress.

Risk Factors

Risk Factors

Common Risk Factors

  • Common risk factors in the development of [Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis] include:
    • Smoking
      • Cigarette smoke might be considered an established risk factor for Sporadic Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (level A rating, 3 class II studies, 1 class III study).[1]
    • Chemical exposure
      • ALS has shown an association with exposure to agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and formaldehyde.[2]
      • Among all the heavy metals that might be associated with ALS, lead exposure seems to be studied the most possibly due to the ALS-like symptoms experienced by people exposed to high concentrations of lead.[3]
    • Radiation
    • Diet
    • Genetic causes[6]
References

References

  1. ↑ Armon C (2009). “Smoking may be considered an established risk factor for sporadic ALS”. Neurology. 73 (20): 1693–8. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181c1df48. PMC 2788806. PMID 19917993.
  2. ↑ Welty DF, Schielke GP, Rothstein JD (1995). “Potential treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with gabapentin: a hypothesis”. Ann Pharmacother. 29 (11): 1164–7. doi:10.1177/106002809502901118. PMID 8573965.
  3. ↑ Kamel F, Umbach DM, Munsat TL, Shefner JM, Hu H, Sandler DP (2002). “Lead exposure and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”. Epidemiology. 13 (3): 311–9. PMID 11964933.
  4. ↑ Morozova N, Weisskopf MG, McCullough ML, Munger KL, Calle EE, Thun MJ; et al. (2008). “Diet and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”. Epidemiology. 19 (2): 324–37. doi:10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181632c5d. PMID 18300717.
  5. ↑ Veldink JH, Kalmijn S, Groeneveld GJ, Wunderink W, Koster A, de Vries JH; et al. (2007). “Intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E reduces the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 78 (4): 367–71. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2005.083378. PMC 2077791. PMID 16648143.
  6. ↑ Deivasigamani S, Verma HK, Ueda R, Ratnaparkhi A, Ratnaparkhi GS (2014). “A genetic screen identifies Tor as an interactor of VAPB in a Drosophila model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”. Biol Open. 3 (11): 1127–38. doi:10.1242/bio.201410066. PMC 4232771. PMID 25361581.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Mohamadmostafa Jahansouz M.D.[2]