Contributing

What state has the most ALS cases?

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What state has the most ALS cases?

The Midwest has the highest rate of cases per region with a rate of 5.7 per 100,000 population, followed by the Northeast (5.2), South (4.7), and the West (4.3). The individual states with the greatest numbers of cases were California (n = 1450, 9.3%), Florida (n = 1010, 6.5%), and Texas (n = 976, 6.2%).

Where is ALS most common in the world?

Population and ALS prevalence estimates The prevalence rates of ALS were highest in Uruguay, New Zealand and the United States, and lowest in Serbia, China and Taiwan (Supplementary Tables 1 and 2). The age groups with the highest prevalence rates of ALS were from age 60 to 79.

Is incidence of ALS increasing?

Within a population of 100,000 people, there are 2 new ALS cases each year. Although the number of new ALS cases increases with age until age 80, ALS does sometimes occur in people who are in their 20’s and 30’s. Some physicians report that they are “seeing increasing numbers of younger ALS patients”.

What population is most affected by ALS?

Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, although the disease can occur at a younger age. It occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries. It affects as many as 30,000 in the United States, with 5,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

How can you prevent ALS?

There is no definite method to prevent ALS. However, people with ALS can participate in clinical trials, the National ALS Registry, and the National ALS Biorepository. This participation may help researchers learn about potential causes and risk factors of the disease.

Can ALS be triggered by stress?

Psychological stress does not appear to play a part in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with patients showing similar levels of prior stressful events, occupational stress, and anxiety as a control group, as well as higher resilience, a study shows.

Why do so many athletes get ALS?

Researchers have hypothesized that vigorous physical activity might increase exposure to environmental toxins, facilitate the transport of toxins to the brain, increase the absorption of toxins, or increase the athlete””s susceptibility to motor neuron disease through added physical stress.

Why is ALS so common?

The rates of ALS seem to be increasing slightly, although it’s hard to say why; part of the reason is thought to be that people are simply living longer, and that doctors are getting better at diagnosing it.

Why do more veterans get ALS?

Factors that might feed into the increased risk of ALS in veterans include exposure to lead, pesticides or other environmental contacts, use of tobacco or alcohol or extreme physical exertion.

Can ALS be prevented?

What are the 1st signs of ALS?

Symptoms

  • Difficulty walking or doing normal daily activities.
  • Tripping and falling.
  • Weakness in your legs, feet or ankles.
  • Hand weakness or clumsiness.
  • Slurred speech or trouble swallowing.
  • Muscle cramps and twitching in your arms, shoulders and tongue.
  • Inappropriate crying, laughing or yawning.

How can you avoid getting ALS?