Global analysis shows rising burden of ALS and motor neuron diseases

Background and objectives

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are major global causes of death. However, their global incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years remain largely unknown, despite their importance for disease prevention and resource allocation. We therefore examined the global epidemiology of ALS/MNDs.

Methods

This study analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 database for 204 regions (1990–2021), focusing on ALS/MNDs. Data from the world, China, and the G8 countries were analyzed separately. Age-standardized incidence rates were reported for the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s.

Result

A rising global burden of ALS/MNDs, with significant variations across regions and levels of the social development index, was observed in the Global Burden of Disease database. A significant overlap of etiology between neurological diseases and ALS was also identified. Among the G8 countries and China, China and the USA exhibited the highest prevalence rates in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s, with China showing 3.3 per 10,000 and the USA 4.0 per 10,000 in the 2020s.

Conclusions

This burden exhibits significant variations across different regions and at different stages of social and demographic development, with numerous and diverse factors contributing to these diseases. Through in-depth and comprehensive analysis of the GBD database and related studies, it has been found that there is a high degree of overlap in ALS/MNDs. This discovery lays an important foundation for further research into neurological diseases, particularly the pathogenesis of ALS. In the coming period, research efforts on neurological diseases need to be strengthened further, medical resources optimized, and the increasingly heavy burden of neurological diseases effectively addressed.