[Motoneuron disease in Spain: differential epidemiological features].

INTRODUCTION AND

OBJECTIVES

Little data has been published in Spain on motor neurone disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This study reports data on incidence and mortality in Cantabria and incidence in Segovia. It discusses and compares them emphasizing certain characteristic features of the epidemiology of the disease in Spain.

RESULTS

The incidence of motor neurone disease is higher in males, increases with age, reaches a peak between 70 and 79 years but then drops after the age of 80. There is little difference between incidence and mortality. The incidence of mortality varies greatly with time.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of motor neurone disease in Spanish studies is average. The mortality is similar to that of other countries, although the pattern varies with age. There was a striking drop in this disease in the 1960s, but since 1970 it has been increasing.