Incidence and lifetime risk of motor neuron disease in the United Kingdom: a population-based study.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the incidence and lifetime risk of motor neuron disease (MND) in a population-based sample in the United Kingdom.


METHODS
We identified new cases of MND during the period 1990-2005 in the General Practice Research Database, which includes clinical information from more than 3 million Britons enrolled with selected general practitioners. Individuals with a first medical diagnosis of MND recorded in the database were considered incident cases of the disease. The positive predictive value of the computer-based diagnosis was estimated through review of a sample of medical records from potential MND cases.


RESULTS
In the period 1990-2005, 830 new cases of MND were identified. Age-standardized incidence of MND was 2.6 per 100 000 persons per year in women (95% CI: 2.3, 2.8) and 3.9 in men (95% CI: 3.6, 4.3). Incidence for both sexes peaked between 75 and 79 years. The rate of MND in men was 54% higher than in women (95% CI: 33%, 77%). The lifetime risk of MND, adjusting for competing causes of death, was 1 in 472 (2.1 per 1000) in women and 1 in 350 (2.9 per 1000) in men. No increase in MND incidence over time was apparent.


CONCLUSIONS
In this population-based database, we found that MND incidence is higher in men than women, peaking in both sexes between 75 and 79 years.
Alonso
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Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 S 2nd St, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. aalogut@alumni.unav.es
Logroscino
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G
Jick
S S
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Hernán
M A
MA
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016472:Motor Neuron Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult