Changes in the incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Wakayama, Japan

In the 1960s, the incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the Kozagawa and Koza areas in Wakayama prefecture was much higher than that in other areas of the world. However, between 1980 and 1993, a gradual decrease in the incidence of the disease in these areas was reported. To ascertain whether the decreased incidence has persisted, we conducted a retrospective epidemiological study, and determined the average annual incidence of ALS in Wakayama prefecture from 1998 to 2002. The number of ALS cases encountered during the period was 134 ( male 79, female 55). The crude average annual incidence in Wakayama prefecture in total was 2.50 ( male 3.08, female 1.99) per 100,000. In the Kozagawa and Koza areas in Wakayama prefecture, where the senility rate rapidly increased in recent years, the average annual incidence of ALS in the present research was 10.56 ( male 14.14, female 7.66). When the crude rate was standardized for both age and sex to the Japanese population in 1990, the expected value was 5.24 ( male 7.34, female 3.18), which was lower than that of our previous survey. The prevalence in Wakayama prefecture at 31 December 2002 was 11.31 ( male 14.40, female 8.53). In Kozagawa and Koza areas, the crude prevalence was 52.81 ( male 70.70, female 38.28). These results indicated that the incidence of ALS in Wakayama prefecture, especially for females, steadily decreased compared to that in previous reports. However, a high incidence of ALS persisted among males in Wakayama prefecture, especially in the Kozagawa and Koza areas. Some environmental factors and gender specificity may be related to the decreased incidence of ALS in focus areas.