Summary
The ALS death rate in Japan was analyzed using Japanese vital statistics for 1968–1978. The ALS death rate increased gradually year by year for both sexes. The changing patterns of the mortality might be explicable by a constantly improving ascertainment of ALS. There were, however, remarkable differences in the ALS death rates for each sex among the four marital categories. The geographical variations in the ALS death rate were also observed with the highest death rate in Wakayama Prefecture for both sexes. In addition, the difference in the ALS death rate was statistically significant among five occupational categories of the head of the household. The mean age at death from ALS gradually increased year by year for both sexes, though the age was 12 years shorter for males and 17 years shorter for females than that of the general population.
The results suggest the need for extensive epidemiological studies to identify the environmental factors which induce such trends and differences. The factors might be the environmental causes of the disease.
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Imaizumi, Y. Mortality rate of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Japan: Effects of marital status and social class, and geographical variation. Jap J Human Genet 31, 101–111 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01871404
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01871404