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Zita R Manjaly,
Kirsten M Scott,
Kumar Abhinav,
Lokesh Wijesekera,
Jeban Ganesalingam,
Laura H Goldstein,
Anna Janssen,
Andrew Dougherty,
Emma Willey,
Biba R Stanton,
Martin R Turner,
Mary-Ann Ampong,
Mohammed Sakel,
Richard W Orrell,
Robin Howard, Chris E Shaw,
P Nigel Leigh,
Ammar Al-Chalabi
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ABSTRACT: Replicable risk factors for ALS include increasing age, family history and being male. The male: female ratio has been reported as being between 1 and 3. We tested the hypothesis that the sex ratio changes with age in a population register covering the south-east of England. The sex ratio before and after the age of 51 years was compared using a Z-test for proportions. Kendall's tau was used to assess the relationship between age group and sex ratio using incidence and prevalence data. Publicly available data from Italian and Irish population registers were compared with results. There was a significant difference in the proportion of females with ALS between those in the younger group (30.11%) and those in the older group (43.66%) (p = 0.013). The adjusted male: female ratio dropped from 2.5 in the younger group to 1.4 in the older group using prevalence data (Kendall's tau = -0.73, p = 0.039). Similar ratios were found in the Italian but not the Irish registry. We concluded that sex ratios in ALS may change with age. Over-representation of younger patients in clinic registers may explain the variation in sex ratios between studies. Menopause may also play a role.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 03/2010; 11(5):439-42. · 3.40 Impact Factor
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Isabella Fogh,
Sandra D'Alfonso,
Cinzia Gellera,
Antonia Ratti,
Cristina Cereda,
Silvana Penco,
Lucia Corrado,
Gianni Sorarù,
Barbara Castellotti,
Cinzia Tiloca,
Stella Gagliardi,
Lorena Cozzi,
Michelle K Lupton,
Nicola Ticozzi,
Letizia Mazzini, Chris E Shaw,
Ammar Al-Chalabi,
John Powell,
Vincenzo Silani
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ABSTRACT: We have attempted to replicate a recently reported association of polymorphism rs10260404, in the Dipeptidyl-peptidase 6 gene (DPP6), with susceptibility to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a large independent Italian cohort of 904 cases and 1036 controls. Minor allele frequency was 0.38 in cases and 0.39 in controls and no evidence of association with ALS was observed (P=0.638). Our negative results agree with those recently reported in additional Polish and Italian cohorts.
Neurobiology of aging 07/2009; 32(5):966-7. · 5.94 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Patient care and minimizing complications post gastrostomy have to date received little attention in ALS patients. We compare the complications associated with pigtail and mushroom type percutaneous radiological gastrostomy tubes in this patient group. Patients requiring PRG received either Wills-Oglesby or the skin level Entristar. Retrospective review of the clinical notes was performed capturing demographic data, peristomal infection, tube displacement, tube failure, nutritional status, site of disease onset, and survival. Thirty-five patients (Group 1) had the Wills-Oglesby tube of which 14 (40%) tubes required replacement. The Entristar tube was inserted in 29 patients (Group 2) where 8 (28%) required replacement (NS). The incidence of infection was significantly lower with the Entristar tube, (p<0.001). The mean time to tube removal in Group 2 was 223 days (SD 147; range 71-494 days) due to 'buried bumper syndrome'. We conclude that the Entristar skin level gastrostomy tube is associated with a reduction in peristomal infection, tube failure and blockage compared with the Wills-Oglesby tube.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 09/2005; 6(3):177-81.
