title: Effect of referral bias on assessing survival in ALS.
abstract: We assessed the effect of referral bias on patients with ALS treated at our medical center. A total of 132 subjects were treated by our center over the past 3 years. The referral population had a median survival of 29 months compared to 18 months for the local population (p = 0.007). Referral bias should be addressed when assessing the efficacy of self-selected therapies in the setting of a tertiary ALS clinic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. sorenson.eric@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Sorenson
authors.forename: Jayawant
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mandrekar
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Crum
authors.forename: J Clarke
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Stevens
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000451:nursing*; D015982:Bias; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D015983:Selection Bias; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends