Abstract

Overview

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease with a still unknown etiology. This study explores the association between environmental and occupational factors and the risk of ALS.

Methods

• Population-based case-control study conducted in four Italian provinces.
• Administration of tailored questionnaires to ALS cases (n=95) and randomly selected population referents (n=135).
• Estimation of ALS risk using an unconditional logistic regression model, calculating the odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI).

Findings

• Positive association with ALS risk for those with a history of working in agriculture, particularly for durations longer than 10 years.
• Associations found with occupational exposure to solvents like thinners and paint removers.
• Both occupational and environmental exposures to electromagnetic fields indicated an increased ALS risk.
• Increased risks associated with living near water bodies and exposures to certain metals like lead, mercury, and selenium.

Conclusion

While limited by potential recall bias and a low number of exposed subjects, these findings underline the importance of considering environmental and occupational exposures, particularly electromagnetic fields, as potential factors in ALS etiology.