Prevalence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the city of Porto Alegre, in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Method: We conducted an extensive investigation in clinics and hospitals that provide specialized assistance to these patients, contacted neurologists and the regional association of people with ALS. Results: On July 31, 2010, 70 patients were alive and diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Considering the population living in the city in the same period (1,409,351), the estimated prevalence was 5.0 cases per 100,000 people (95% CI, 3.9-6.2), being higher for men (5.2/100,000 95% CI, 3.6-7.2) than for women (4.8/100,000 95% CI, 3.4-6.5). The prevalence increased with age peaking in the age group 70-79 years in both genders. Conclusion: The prevalence of ALS in the city of Porto Alegre is similar to that reported in other parts of the world.

Prevalence, Incidence, and Clinical-Epidemiological Characterization of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Antioquia: Colombia

“…In an American study using capture-recapture method, only considering patients with definite ALS, the estimated prevalence was set 4.7 and 5.0/100,000 in 2012 and 2013 respectively [16], results very similar to ours. Prevalence in Latin America countries ranges from 0.9 to 8.86/100,000 inhabitants [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. However, there are significant methodological differences (e.g., some studies used a different diagnostic category for cases se-lection).…”

Comunicação Alternativa Ampliada na Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica: A Tecnologia a Favor da Reabilitação

“…Neste estudo a idade dos pacientes foi similar à dos participantes de outros estudos 9,23 . Quanto ao sexo, predominou o feminino (n=8), divergindo dos outros estudos nos quais o sexo masculino predominou [8][9]11,23 . A maioria dos pacientes era casada, sendo o próprio cônjuge cuidador (76,92%), ressaltando, assim, a importância da família no desempenho do papel de cuidador 24 .…”

“…Estudos europeus e norte americanos indicam incidência variando entre 1,8 -2,08/100.000 habitantes/ano 7 com prevalência de aproximadamente 5,4/100.000 habitantes [7][8] . No Brasil, os estudos clínico-epidemiológicos são poucos, e a prevalência encontrada variou de 0,4 -5,0/100.000 habitantes [9][10] . Estudo recente retrospectivo mostrou que a incidência anual no período de 2004 a 2013 variou entre 0,36-0,6/100.000 habitantes/ano 11 .…”

Dementia in motor neuron disease: reviewing the role of MRI in diagnosis

“… 6 In South America, there is little information available on ALS, but it has a reported prevalence of 5.0/100,000 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. 7 In most cases, disease onset occurs during late-adulthood (61.8 ± 3.8 years). 6 …”