title: Survival of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2 Danish counties.
abstract: We investigated the survival of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a follow-up study of all patients hospitalized with the disease in 2 Danish counties during the period 1974 to 1986. There were 186 patients, with a mean age at diagnosis of 64.3 years. The median survival time was 12 months from diagnosis, the 3-year survival rate was 12%, and the 5-year survival rate 4%. (The corresponding figures from onset were 23 months, 26%, and 7%). Old age and bulbar findings at onset were negative prognostic factors. For each clinical category, the annual death rate remained constant throughout the observation period, indicating the effects of a steadily progressing degenerative disorder. We found no evidence of the existence of a separate variety of ALS, associated with long survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Aalborg Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Højer-Pedersen
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Jensen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis