Physical activity, trauma, and ALS: a case-control study.

D Strickland; S A Smith; G Dolliff; L Goldman; R I Roelofs

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0404.1996.tb00038.x

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Physical activity, trauma, and ALS: a case-control study.

D Strickland·S A Smith·G Dolliff·L Goldman·R I Roelofs

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Abstract

AIMS: The association of trauma and physical activity with ALS is controversial. We explored the relation in a pilot case-control study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: ALS patients were selected from a university muscle disease clinic and paired with two matched controls: one from the clinic, but having different diseases, and one from the community. RESULTS: We found several strong and statistically significant differences between ALS cases and the matched controls. These included severe head, neck and back injury (OR = 5.3), the frequency of sweating in work (OR = 1.6) or leisure activity (also OR = 1.6), and earning a school letter (OR = 3.1). Other measures of trauma and activity, while not achieving statistical significance (p < 0.05), were in accord with these findings. DISCUSSION: Possible explanations include trauma and vigorous exercise precipitating ALS; trauma as an early sign of disease; or a third factor associated with ALS predisposing to injury. CONCLUSIONS: Severe head, neck, and back injury and frequency of sweating both in work and leisure activity showed a strong association with ALS. Further study could test narrower and less common exposures with greater statistical power.

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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Case-Control Studies Exercise Female Humans Male Middle Aged Pilot Projects Wounds and Injuries Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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D Strickland, S A Smith, G Dolliff, L Goldman, R I Roelofs. 1996. Physical activity, trauma, and ALS: a case-control study.. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0404.1996.tb00038.x

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