Global burden and mortality of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other motor neuron diseases in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2021
2025-11-26
(Press-News.org) 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.
Full text:
https://xiahepublishing.com/2472-0712/ERHM-2025-00024
The study was recently published in the Exploratory Research and Hypothesis in Medicine.
Exploratory Research and Hypothesis in Medicine (ERHM) publishes original exploratory research articles and state-of-the-art reviews that focus on novel findings and the most recent scientific advances that support new hypotheses in medicine. The journal accepts a wide range of topics, including innovative diagnostic and therapeutic modalities as well as insightful theories related to the practice of medicine. The exploratory research published in ERHM does not necessarily need to be comprehensive and conclusive, but the study design must be solid, the methodologies must be reliable, the results must be true, and the hypothesis must be rational and justifiable with evidence.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2025-11-26
A new evidence brief, based on a study by the Juno Evidence Alliance conducted in collaboration with CABI’s One Health Hub, has highlighted that a One Health approach is needed in research into zoonotic disease risks around the world.
The study, an evidence synthesis carried out by the Juno Evidence Alliance with Newcastle University and funded by UK International Development, did not find published research on zoonoses risks linked to agrifood systems for 46% of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which could point to an uneven distribution of research resources.
It adds that several key areas related to zoonotic ...
2025-11-26
An international team led by Covadonga Orejas, a researcher at the Gijón Oceanographic Centre of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC); Veerle Huvenne, a researcher at the UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC); and Jacob González-Solís, professor at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona, has published the first comprehensive study on the seamounts of the Cape Verde archipelago, their biodiversity, ecological functionality and socio-economic relevance in the journal Progress in Oceanography.
These volcanic formations — at least 14 large mountains ...
2025-11-26
Scientists have discovered how a mitochondrial mutation rewires immune function in a model of inherited primary mitochondrial disorders, which often lead to severe disability and death. They have discovered that this single inherited mutation causes whole-body issues in an animal model after its immune response is sparked into action.
Although the scientists stress the research is at a relatively early stage, it is one of the first pieces of work to show that a heritable mitochondrial DNA mutation can independently remodel immune cell function and inflammatory signalling.
It ...
2025-11-26
The presence of robots in schools is no longer surprising. How do elementary school children treat humanoid robots? Are they polite to them, and willing to attribute human-like qualities to them? Researchers from SWPS University have shown that in most cases, children treat robots politely, and younger children and girls are more likely to perceive them as possessing human-like qualities.
The fourth edition of the international HumanTech Summit, organized at SWPS by the HumanTech Center, took place in Warsaw on November 20-22, 2025. Interactions with robots were among the topics discussed during ...
2025-11-26
ANN ARBOR—Inside the cell reside many tiny assembly factories and warehouses that gather together all of the proteins and RNAs—which carry out instructions from our DNA—that a living being needs.
These assemblies, called biomolecular condensates, help regulate how cells divide and respond to stress by sequestering and processing RNA and proteins. However, they don't have a membrane that separates them from the rest of the nucleus. Instead, their machinery condenses together, similar ...
2025-11-26
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the specific destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells. While islet transplantation has demonstrated promise, its widespread application is hampered by immune rejection, the necessity for lifelong immunosuppression, and a critical shortage of donor organs. This review posits that regenerative medicine, particularly strategies centered on stem cells and pancreatic progenitor cells, holds the key to a lasting cure. We explore innovative avenues for regenerating functional β-cells, with a focused ...
2025-11-26
Statins have transformed heart health, saving millions of lives by lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But for many patients, these drugs come with a troubling downside: muscle pain, weakness and, in rare cases, severe muscle breakdown that can lead to kidney failure.
University of British Columbia researchers and their collaborators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have now pinpointed the cause. Their findings, published last week in Nature Communications, could pave the way ...
2025-11-26
SAN ANTONIO — November 26, 2025 — Engineers at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) have developed a reliable testing methodology to study stochastic pre-ignition (SPI) in hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines (H2-ICEs), offering the automotive industry tools to address challenges associated with hydrogen fuel and advance cleaner engine technologies.
Pre-ignition, where unintentional combustion occurs before spark timing, is disruptive and sometimes detrimental to engine performance and durability. While hydrogen's low ignition threshold is a suspected SPI factor, SwRI explored whether lubricant autoignition contributes to SPI in H2-ICEs.
“H2-ICEs ...
2025-11-26
A study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has revealed a previously unknown pathway plants use to detect gravity and orient the direction they grow in. Publishing this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study may one day open the door for improvements in crop cultivation.
Prior studies have already established that a suite of genes, nicknamed LAZY, control a pathway plants use for detecting gravity. In a typical plant, cells within the stem use LAZY genes to detect the force of gravity. The plant can then guide the stem to grow upwards, branches to grow outwards, and roots to ...
2025-11-26
Food quality and safety are crucial. However, conventional food-monitoring methods, including ribotyping and polymerase chain reaction, tend to be destructive and lengthy. These shortcomings limit their potential for broad applications. In this regard, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing, with real-time, non-destructive, and high sensitivity capabilities, is a highly promising alternative.
In a new breakthrough, a team of researchers, led by Associate Professor Ji-Hwan Ha from the Department of Mechanical ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Global burden and mortality of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other motor neuron diseases in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2021
