AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS: RISK FACTORS, DIAGNOSTIC DELAYS, MODERN DIAGNOSTIC METHODS, AND FUTURE POSSIBILITIES- LITERATURE REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.3(51).2026.6102Keywords:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS, ALS Risk Factors, ALS Protective Factors, ALS Diagnostics, ALS Diagnostic Delays, ALS Diagnostics and AIAbstract
Introduction and purpose. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons. It affects about 4-5 persons per 100000 population and is characterized by varied clinical presentation and short survival period. ALS remains incurable; however, patients can receive multidisciplinary care and disease-modifying drugs. This article focuses on ALS protective and risk factors, diagnostic delays, modern diagnostic methods, and a future prospects for enhancing the diagnostic process.
Material and methods. The review is based on research of articles published between 2020 and 2026 in databases such as Google Schoolar and PubMed. English-language publications were selected by the authors.
Results and Conclusions. Head trauma, military service, chemicals, heavy metals, electrical injuries, magnetic field exposure, history of stroke, and hypertension are associated with higher risk of ALS. Diabetes mellitus, antidiabetic and antihypertensive drugs, higher premorbid BMI, live in urban, and kidney diseases may be protective factors. Diagnostic criteria and EMG are crucial tools in diagnostics. Gold Coast criteria are characterized by increased diagnostic sensitivity compared to previous criteria. Diagnostics remains a challenge, and definitive diagnosis is established with a significant delay due to patient- and healthcare system-dependent factors. ALS remains incurable. Nevertheless, eliminating diagnostic difficulties may provide a number of benefits for both patients and the healthcare system. Scientists attempt to facilitate the diagnostic process. Numerous publications highlight the potential of modern technologies. The results seem promising, however, these techniques have a number of limitations and involve a risk, so they should be treated with caution, and require further research and improvement.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Nicol Baran, Marta Bajkowska-Piterak, Monika Szlachta-Gubernat, Adrianna Buż, Przemysław Piterak, Damian Danilczuk, Wiktor Adamiec, Jerzy Buszko, Michał Dyś
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