New cause of death in young adults: Association between illicit drug abuse and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Keywords:
Substance Abuse, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Risk Factor, Addiction, Drug Abuse
Abstract
Background: Neurodegenerative effects of illicit drugs have been proposed in many investigations. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal motor neuron disease characterized by degeneration of motor neurons, but the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis among drug abusers is unknown.
Methods: A nested case–control study was conducted in a teaching hospital to examine the association between drug abuse and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The study population included persons 18 to 40 years of age who were admitted in an electrodiagnostic medicine clinic for more than two year during the study period (January 2013 through April 2015) For each subject with ALS, 2 smoking-matched controls without ALS were randomly selected from the same population. Self-reported history of drug abuse was acceptable in both groups.
Results: A total of 17 persons with ALS and 34 controls were identified, of whom 10 (58.8 percent) and 8 (23.5), respectively, had history of drug abuse. Persons with history of drug abuse had an increased risk of ALS (adjusted odds ratio, 2.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 5.7) as compared with controls.
Conclusion: Drug abuse is an important risk factor for ALS, at least among young adults. The risk among drug abusers was at least or about double that among control group. The burden of mortality due to background ALS in drug abusers needs to be determined in future investigations.
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References
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2. Kiernan MC, Vucic S, Cheah BC, Turner MR, Eisen A, Hardiman O, Burrell JR, Zoing MC: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Lancet 2011, 377(9769):942-55. [PubMed]
3. Doi Y, Atsuta N, Sobue G, Morita M, Nakano I: Prevalence and incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Japan. Journal of epidemiology / Japan Epidemiological Association 2014, 24(6):494-9.
4. Mehta P, Antao V, Kaye W, Sanchez M, Williamson D, Bryan L, Muravov O, Horton K: Prevalence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - United States, 2010-2011. Morbidity and mortality weekly report Surveillance summaries (Washington, DC : 2002) 2014, 63 Suppl 7:1-14. [PubMed]
5. Nessa A, Latif SA, Siddiqui NI, Hussain MA, Hossain MA: Drug abuse and addiction. Mymensingh medical journal : MMJ 2008, 17(2):227-35. [PubMed]
6. Naserbakht M, Djalalinia S, Tayefi B, Gholami M, Eftekhar Ardabili M, Shariat SV, Taban M, Hajebi A, Behtaj F, Sajadi SA et al: National and sub-national prevalence, trend, and burden of mental disorders and substance abuse in Iran: 1990 - 2013, study protocol. Archives of Iranian medicine 2014, 17(3):182-8.
7. Boddiger D: Drug abuse in older US adults worries experts. Lancet 2008, 372(9650):1622.
8. Malek AM, Barchowsky A, Bowser R, Heiman-Patterson T, Lacomis D, Rana S, Youk A, Stickler D, Lackland DT, Talbott EO: Environmental and occupational risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a case-control study. Neuro-degenerative diseases 2014, 14(1):31-8.
9. Pradhan BK, Cagande CC, Pumariega AJ: Substance abuse among culturally diverse youth. Adolescent medicine: state of the art reviews 2014, 25(1):172-83.
10. Mesic S, Ramadani S, Zunic L, Skopljak A, Pasagic A, Masic I: Frequency of substance abuse among adolescents. Materia socio-medica 2013, 25(4):265-9.
11. Jalilian F, Karami Matin B, Ahmadpanah M, Ataee M, Ahmadi Jouybari T, Eslami AA, Mirzaei Alavijeh M: Socio-demographic characteristics associated with cigarettes smoking, drug abuse and alcohol drinking among male medical university students in Iran. Journal of research in health sciences 2015, 15(1):42-6.
12. Ingre C, Roos PM, Piehl F, Kamel F, Fang F: Risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Clinical epidemiology 2015, 7:181-93.
13. Das K, Nag C, Ghosh M: Familial, environmental, and occupational risk factors in development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. North American journal of medical sciences 2012, 4(8):350-355.
14. World Federation of Neurology Research Group on Neuromuscular Disease.El Escorial World Federation of Neurology Criteria for diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.J NeurolSci 1994; 124(suppl):96-107. [PubMed]
15. Maruyama H, Morino H, Ito H, Izumi Y, Kato H, Watanabe Y, Kinoshita Y, Kamada M, Nodera H, Suzuki H et al: Mutations of optineurin in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nature 2010, 465(7295):223-226. [PubMed]
16. Rosen DR: Mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene are associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nature 1993, 364(6435):362.
17. Wu CH, Fallini C, Ticozzi N, Keagle PJ, Sapp PC, Piotrowska K, Lowe P, Koppers M, McKenna-Yasek D, Baron DM et al: Mutations in the profilin 1 gene cause familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nature 2012, 488(7412):499-503.
18. Vucic S, Nicholson GA, Chio A, Kiernan MC: Apparent anticipation in SOD1 familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis & frontotemporal degeneration 2013, 14(5-6):452-456.
19. Van Blitterswijk M, van Es MA, Koppers M, van Rheenen W, Medic J, Schelhaas HJ, van der Kooi AJ, de Visser M, Veldink JH, van den Berg LH: VAPB and C9orf72 mutations in 1 familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient. Neurobiology of aging 2012, 33(12):2950 e2951-2954.
20. Armon C: An evidence-based medicine approach to the evaluation of the role of exogenous risk factors in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuroepidemiology 2003, 22(4):217-28. [PubMed]
21. Armon C: Smoking may be considered an established risk factor for sporadic ALS. Neurology 2009, 73(20):1693-1698. [PubMed]
22. Shaw PJ: Mechanisms of cell death and treatment prospects in motor neuron disease. Hong Kong medical journal = Xianggang yi xue za zhi / Hong Kong Academy of Medicine 2001, 7(3):267-280.
23. Rodriguez MJ, Pugliese M, Mahy N: Drug abuse, brain calcification and glutamate-induced neurodegeneration. Current drug abuse reviews 2009, 2(1):99-112. [PubMed]
24. Gramage E, Herradon G: Connecting Parkinson's disease and drug addiction: common players reveal unexpected disease connections and novel therapeutic approaches. Current pharmaceutical design 2011, 17(5):449-461. [PubMed]
25. Chin TS: History of substance abuse and risk of extrapyramidal side effects. Psychiatry (Edgmont (Pa : Township)) 2006, 3(6):18. [PubMed]
26. Byars JA, Beglinger LJ, Moser DJ, Gonzalez-Alegre P, Nopoulos P: Substance abuse may be a risk factor for earlier onset of Huntington disease. Journal of neurology 2012, 259(9):1824-1831. [PubMed]
27. Roussotte FF, Daianu M, Jahanshad N, Leonardo CD, Thompson PM: Neuroimaging and genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease and addiction-related degenerative brain disorders. Brain imaging and behavior 2014, 8(2):217-33. [PubMed]
28. Rivara FP, Mueller BA, Somes G, Mendoza CT, Rushforth NB, Kellermann AL: Alcohol and illicit drug abuse and the risk of violent death in the home. Jama 1997, 278(7):569-75. [PubMed]
29. Nyhlen A, Fridell M, Hesse M, Krantz P: Causes of premature mortality in Swedish drug abusers: a prospective longitudinal study 1970-2006. Journal of forensic and legal medicine 2011, 18(2):66-72.
30. Nabipour S, Ayu Said M, Hussain Habil M: Burden and nutritional deficiencies in opiate addiction- systematic review article. Iranian journal of public health 2014, 43(8):1022-1032.
CITATION
DOI: 10.17511/ijmrr.2015.i7.136
Published: 2015-08-31
How to Cite
1.
Azhari A, Hasanabadi H, Ardani AR. New cause of death in young adults: Association between illicit drug abuse and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Int J Med Res Rev [Internet]. 2015Aug.31 [cited 2024Jul.3];3(7):721-5. Available from: https://ijmrr.medresearch.in/index.php/ijmrr/article/view/309
Section
Original Article
OAI - Open Archives Initiative
