Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Prolonged survival in motor neuron disease: a descriptive study of the King’s database 1990–2002
  1. M R Turner,
  2. M J Parton,
  3. C E Shaw,
  4. P N Leigh,
  5. A Al-Chalabi
  1. MND Care and Research Clinic, King’s College London, UK
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr A Al-Chalabi, MND Care and Research Clinic, PO41 (ANC), Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK;
 ammar{at}iop.kcl.ac.uk

Abstract

Motor neuron disease is a clinically heterogeneous disease with significant differences in survival. The authors have characterised a subset of long term survivors seen in a tertiary clinic over a 12 year period in terms of clinical variables and demographics, comparing them with short term survivors and the remaining population. Thirty of 769 patients survived more than 10 years, corresponding to 4% of the total population. Significantly younger onset of disease symptoms and a predominance of pure upper motor neuron signs at presentation characterised the long term survivors, but factors traditionally regarded as being associated with poor prognosis were also well represented. For a few people with motor neuron disease there remains the hope, whatever the initial presentation, that their subsequent survival will be longer than expected.

  • amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • database
  • motor neurone disease
  • MND, motor neuron disease
  • ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • PLS, primary lateral sclerosis
  • FVC, forced vital capacity

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

Footnotes

  • Funding: MRT is a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Training Fellow. MJP is funded through a scholarship from The Guarantors of Brain. AAC is funded by a Medical Research Council Clinician Scientist Fellowship. We are most grateful to the Motor Neuron Disease Association (UK) who provide funding for the MND Care & Research Clinic.

  • Competing interests: none declared

Linked Articles