Clinical outcomes and serum uric acid levels in elderly patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aged ≥ 70 years.

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a slowly progressive fetal neurodegenerative disease in which clinical phenotype and nutritional status are considered prognostic factors. Advanced age has also been reported to carry a poor prognosis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The elderly population is expected to increase in Japan, as well as in other countries in the near future. Whether late-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis affects the average lifespan or survival of patients and the nutritional status was related to survival remains an open question.

Methods: We studied the survival of elderly 34 patients with clinically definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aged ≥ 70 years and investigated serum triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL/HDL ratio, and glucose. Serum uric acid was examined.

Results: The average age at respiratory disorders or death as a whole was 77.5 ± 4.3 years. Survival did not differ significantly between different clinical phenotypes or between patients with and those without riluzole usage. Survival differed significantly between patients with and those without other complications. No biochemical parameter is correlated with outcome in this series, including elevated triglyceride or cholesterol levels and an increased LDL/HDL ratio. The survival correlated with the serum uric acid level (r = 0.407, p = 0.017).

Conclusions: The onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at ≥ 70 years of age might not be the key determinant of survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.