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Premorbid weight, body mass, and varsity athletics in ALS

From the Department of Neurology (Drs. Scarmeas, Shih, Stern, Ottman, and Rowland) and the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS Center, Neurological Institute of Columbia–Presbyterian Medical Center; and the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center (Drs. Scarmeas, Stern, and Ottman), Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Lewis P. Rowland, Neurological Institute, Box 147, 710 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032; e-mail: lpr1{at}columbia.edu

Several famous athletes have been affected by ALS, and some epidemiologic studies have indicated that vigorous physical activity (heavy labor or athletics) is a risk factor for the disease. In a case-control study of 279 patients with motor neuron diseases and 152 with other neurologic diseases, the authors found that subjects with motor neuron diseases were more likely than controls to report they had always been slim or they had been varsity athletes. For slimness, the odds ratio (OR) was 2.21; 95% CI, 1.40 to 3.47. For varsity athletics, the OR was 1.70; CI, 1.04 to 2.76.

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