What causes ALS?
The vast majority of ALS cases diagnosed in the United States each year (90%–95%) are not associated with genetic inheritance. Results of worldwide epidemiological research examining the population-based risk factors for ALS suggest increasing incidence. There are some links with ALS to occupations involving heavy labor, exposure to heavy metals, or a history of traumatic injury. With the exception of an unusually high frequency of cases occurring in specific regions of the western Pacific, particularly Guam, there is no pattern of geographic clustering of ALS. Nor is ALS associated with a particular race or educational level.
How common is ALS?
Information about the incidence and prevalence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is available in the ASHA report Incidence and Prevalence of Speech, Voice, and Language Disorders in Adults in the United States.
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