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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/125347
Environmental And Occupational Exposures And Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis In New England
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Background: Recent data provide support for the concept that potentially modifiable exposures are responsible for sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Objective: To evaluate environmental and occupational exposures as risk factors for sporadic ALS. Methods: We performed a case control study of ALS among residents of New England, USA. The analysis compared questionnaire responses from 295 patients with a confirmed ALS diagnosis to those of 225 controls without neurodegenerative illness. Results: Self-reported job-or hobby-related exposure to one or more chemicals, such as pesticides, solvents, or heavy metals, increased the risk of ALS (adjusted OR 2.51; 95% CI 1.64-3.89). Industries with a higher toxicant exposure potential (construction, manufacturing, mechanical, military, or painting) were associated with an elevated occupational risk (adjusted OR 3.95; 95% CI 2.04-8.30). We also identified increases in the risk of ALS associated with frequent participation in water sports, particularly waterskiing (adjusted OR 3.89; 95% C11.97-8.44). Occupation and waterskiing both retained independent statistical significance in a composite model containing age, gender, and smoking status. Conclusions: Our study contributes to a growing body of literature implicating occupational-and hobby-related toxicant exposures in ALS etiology. These epidemiologic study results also provide motivation for future evaluation of water-body-related risk factors. (C) 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel
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ANDREW, Angeline S., et al. Environmental And Occupational Exposures And Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis In New England. Neurodegenerative Diseases. 2017. Vol. 17, num. Issue 2-3, pags. 110-116. [consulted: 6 of June of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/125347