American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 125, No. 1: 92-100
Copyright © 1987 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
research-article |
A COHORT STUDY OF AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS AND PARKINSONISM-DEMENTIA ON GUAM AND ROTA
1Honolulu Heart Program, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health 347 North Kuakini Street, Honolulu, HI 96817.
2School of Public Health, University of Texas Houston, TX.
3National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke Research Center, Agana, Guam. Presently at Guam Memorial Hospital Agana, Guam.
A prospective study of the incidence of new cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism-dementia was conducted by follow-up of 899 Cha-morros in the Mariana Islands who participated in a baseline medical examination and interview in 1968. During a 15-year follow-up period, 28 new neurologically confirmed cases occurred, including 23 with parkinsonism-dementia and five with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The low incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was consistent with the reported disappearance of this disease from the Mariana Islands. However, the continuing high incidence of parkinsonism-dementia was not in agreement with a similarly reported disappearance nor with the hypothesis of a common cause of both diseases. Of 23 selected baseline examination variables, only the preference for traditional Chamorro food was significantly associated with an increased risk of parkinsonism-dementia. A review of the accumulated epidemiologic data on these neurologic diseases in the Mariana Islands did not support the current hypothesis that a chronic nutritional deficiency of calcium is a cause of both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism-dementia.
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; calcium; diet; Parkinson disease
*Deceased
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. C. Steele and P. L. McGeer The ALS/PDC syndrome of Guam and the cycad hypothesis Neurology, May 20, 2008; 70(21): 1984 - 1990. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 W. Yang, R. L. Woltjer, I. Sokal, C. Pan, Y. Wang, M. Brodey, E. R. Peskind, J. B. Leverenz, J. Zhang, D. P. Perl, et al. Quantitative Proteomics Identifies Surfactant-Resistant {alpha}-Synuclein in Cerebral Cortex of Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex of Guam but Not Alzheimer's Disease or Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Am. J. Pathol., September 1, 2007; 171(3): 993 - 1002. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. R. Borenstein, J. A. Mortimer, E. Schofield, Y. Wu, D. P. Salmon, A. Gamst, J. Olichney, L. J. Thal, L. Silbert, J. Kaye, et al. Cycad exposure and risk of dementia, MCI, and PDC in the Chamorro population of Guam Neurology, May 22, 2007; 68(21): 1764 - 1771. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. A. Banack and P. A. Cox Biomagnification of cycad neurotoxins in flying foxes: Implications for ALS-PDC in Guam Neurology, August 12, 2003; 61(3): 387 - 389. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. C. Plato, R. M. Garruto, D. Galasko, U.-K. Craig, M. Plato, A. Gamst, J. M. Torres, and W. Wiederholt Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex of Guam: Changing Incidence Rates during the Past 60 Years Am. J. Epidemiol., January 15, 2003; 157(2): 149 - 157. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K.-M. Chen, U. K. Craig, C.-T. Lee, R. Haddock, P. A. Cox, and O. W. Sacks Cycad neurotoxin, consumption of flying foxes, and ALS/PDC disease in Guam Neurology, November 26, 2002; 59(10): 1664 - 1665. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. A. Cox and O. W. Sacks Cycad neurotoxins, consumption of flying foxes, and ALS-PDC disease in Guam Neurology, March 26, 2002; 58(6): 956 - 959. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Galasko, D. P. Salmon, U.-K. Craig, L. J. Thal, G. Schellenberg, and W. Wiederholt Clinical features and changing patterns of neurodegenerative disorders on Guam, 1997-2000 Neurology, January 8, 2002; 58(1): 90 - 97. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Z.-x. Zhang, D. W. Anderson, and N. Mantel Geographic Patterns of Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex on Guam: 1956 Through 1985 Arch Neurol, October 1, 1990; 47(10): 1069 - 1074. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Z.-x. Zhang, D. W. Anderson, L. Lavine, and N. Mantel Patterns of Acquiring Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex on Guam: 1944 Through 1985 Arch Neurol, September 1, 1990; 47(9): 1019 - 1024. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Spencer, P. Nunn, J Hugon, A. Ludolph, S. Ross, D. Roy, and R. Robertson Guam amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism-dementia linked to a plant excitant neurotoxin Science, July 31, 1987; 237(4814): 517 - 522. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|