Psychologic and adaptational difficulties anteceding amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Rochester, Minnesota, 1925-1987.
Comprehensive medical records of 45 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and 90 controls from the same community, matched by age, gender, and period of observation, were reviewed. Three (13%) of 23 men with ALS, 15 (33%) of 46 control men, 10 (45%) of 22 women with ALS, and 19 (43%) of 44 control women had antecedent psychologic or adaptational difficulties. The proportions of long-standing or serious conditions were comparable in all four groups. However, no man in whom ALS developed had a record of mild antecedent difficulties alone, whereas 3 would have been expected (p = 0.024).
Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
C
C
Armon
L T
LT
Kurland
C M
CM
Beard
P C
PC
O'Brien
D W
DW
Mulder
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors