Epidemiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients in a centre in Buenos Aires

BETTINI M; GARGIULO MONACHELLI GM; RODRIGUEZ G; REY RC; PERALTA LM; SICA REP

ARQUIVOS DE NEURO-PSIQUIATRIA

ASSOC ARQUIVOS NEURO- PSIQUIATRIA

Año: 2011 p. 867 - 870

0004-282X

Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) is considered a multifactorial disease with genetic and environmental factors causing motor neuron degeneration. OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological and occupational characteristics of patients with sALS who attended the Ramos Mejía Hospital at Buenos Aires, Argentina. METHOD: We analyzed the medical records of sALS patients diagnosed between 2001 and 2008. All occupations were coded according to the International Standard Classification of Occupation (ISCO). RESULTS: 187 patients were assessed, 38.5% were women and 61.5% men. Mean age at diagnosis was 55 years. 16% of them came from rural areas; 68% of the studied population had no health insurance. 40% were employed in elementary occupations, 19 were technicians and 8 handicraftsmen. CONCLUSION: The most represented profession was elementary occupation. A large proportion of patients came from rural areas, which might suggest an increased risk of environmental exposure to an unknown agent in those regions.