SynthesisInternational journal of epidemiology2017
Variation in worldwide incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in International journal of epidemiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 168 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
168 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Geographic distribution of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-related genes: a systematic review.Neurodegenerative disease management · 2026Pooled it
- Health-related quality of life of informal carers in ALS: a systematic review of person reported outcome measures.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025Pooled it
- Chitinases as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024Pooled it
- Global Prevalence and Incidence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review.Neurology · 2023Pooled it
- Time-trend evolution and determinants of sex ratio in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: a dose-response meta-analysis.Journal of neurology · 2021Pooled it
- Global variation in prevalence and incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neurology · 2020Pooled it
- Age-specific ALS incidence: a dose-response meta-analysis.European journal of epidemiology · 2018Pooled it
- Serum uric acid levels in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2018Pooled it
- Meta-analytic evaluation of the association between head injury and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.European journal of epidemiology · 2017Pooled it
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for people living with motor neuron disease: the COMMEND feasibility study and randomised controlled trial.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Trial
- Randomized phase 2 study of perampanel for sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Journal of neurology · 2022Trial
- Evaluation of Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Drug-Drug Interactions of an Oral Suspension of Edaravone in Healthy Adults.Clinical pharmacology in drug development · 2021Trial
- Radiation Therapy for Sialorrhea in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Case Series and Critical Review.Advances in radiation oncology · 2026Article
- Microglia deploy TAM receptors to kill motor neurons in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Ferroptosis and aging: Inducing and catalyzing neurodegenerative diseases.Neural regeneration research · 2026Article
- A phase I study to evaluate the dosimetry and safety of [European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2026Article
- Mortality From Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Finland 1987-2022.European journal of neurology · 2026Article
- Lipid Metabolic Mediators Bridge Ischemic Heart Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Article
- Epidemiology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in the Pays de la Loire, France: A 20-Year Study from a Centralized Diagnostic Center.Neuroepidemiology · 2026Article
- Smoking and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases in a Chinese case-control study.BMJ neurology open · 2026Article
108 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: To assess the worldwide variation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) incidence, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based data published to date. Methods: We reviewed Medline and Embase up to June 2015 and included all population-based studies of newly diagnosed ALS cases, using multiple sources for case ascertainment. ALS crude and standardized incidence (on age and sex using the US 2010 population) were calculated. Random effect meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed using the subcontinent as the main study level covariate. Sources of heterogeneity related to the characteristics of the study population and the study methodology were investigated. Results: Among 3216 records, 44 studies were selected, covering 45 geographical areas in 11 sub-continents. A total of 13 146 ALS cases and 825 million person-years of follow-up (PYFU) were co-nsidered. The overall pooled worldwide crude ALS incidence was at 1.75 (1.55-1.96)/100 000 PYFU; 1.68 (1.50-1.85)/100 000 PYFU after standardization. Heterogeneity was identified in ALS standardized incidence between North Europe [1.89 (1.46-2.32)/100 000 PYFU] and East Asia [0.83 (0.42-1.24)/100 000 PYFU, China and Japan P = 0.001] or South Asia [0.73 (0.58-0.89)/100 000/PYFU Iran, P = 0.02]. Conversely, homogeneous rates have been reported in populations from Europe, North America and New Zealand [pooled ALS standardized incidence of 1.81 (1.66-1.97)/100 000 PYFU for those areas]. Conclusion: This review confirms a heterogeneous distribution worldwide of ALS, and sets the scene to sustain a collaborative study involving a wide international consortium to investigate the link between ancestry, environment and ALS incidence.
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