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Osamu I. Kano, MD; Keisuke Arasaki, MD; Ken Ikeda, MD; Yasuo Iwasaki, MD

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We read with great interest the recent excellent article by Czaplinski et al¹ concerning slower disease progression and prolonged survival with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The authors point out the possibility that the disease course has changed over time to be less aggressive.

We also analyzed the diagnostic interval and clinical course through hospital records for 147 patients with ALS between 1990 and 2005. Patients with ALS were divided into 2 groups. The historical group was defined as 117 patients diagnosed according to criteria from the World Federation of Neurology² for definite or probable ALS up to 2000. The contemporary group consisted of 30 patients diagnosed by revised criteria³ for definite, probable, or "probable laboratory supported" ALS from 2001 to 2005. Despite the revised criteria, including electromyogram examination,³ our data suggested that the mean diagnostic interval in . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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RELATED LETTER

Slower Disease Progression and Prolonged Survival in Contemporary Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis—Reply
Adam Czaplinski, Albert A. Yen, Ericka P. Simpson, and Stanley H. Appel
Arch Neurol. 2007;64(3):459.
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