Case control study on lifetime hormone exposure in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

MARIELA BETTINI; AGUSTINA B LARA; GARGIULO MONACHELLI GM; AMORES MIRTHA; GONZALEZ DENISELLE M.C; IGNACIO MELE; DE NICOLA AF

Mar Del Plata

Congreso; LXI Reunión de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica; 2016

Numerous epidemiological studies have shown a higher incidence of ALS inmen than in women, which could denote a possible protective effect of femalehormones, or a negative effect of androgens. We studied this through aquestionnaire to ALS female patients and healthy female controls. Female ALSpatients (18-90 years) and age-matched healthy controls without neurologicalconditions were selected. We questioned age of menarche and menopause, use oforal contraceptives (OC) and its duration, number of pregnancies, spontaneousabortions, whether or not they breastfed, and the presence of acne, hirsutismand/or ovarian cysts. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated in women prior tothe onset of symptoms/diagnosis and in controls at the time of thequestionnaire. Only in postmenopausal women of both groups we calculated thereproductive time-span (RT=menopause-menarche) and the lifetime estrogenexposure (EE=RT-[postovulatory time-(pregnancies+abortions+OC time)] in years.Fifty ALS and 50 controls with a mean age of 59±1.7 and 60±1.5 years,respectively, were analyzed. The age of menarche in ALS was higher thancontrols (p