People with elevated levels of toxic metals in their blood or urine may be at increased risk of developing the fatal disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), alarming research published today suggests.
Scientists have long linked ALS, also known as “locked-in syndrome,” to toxic substances in the environment, including exposure to metals and pesticides.
The disease, which can cause paralysis and eventually death, claimed the life of Sandra Bullocks’ partner last year and was famously the one suffered by acclaimed scientist Stephen Hawking.
But now researchers in the United States believe that greater exposure to metals in the blood and urine could also mean a lower risk of survival from ALS.
Scientists have long linked ALS, also known as “locked-in syndrome,” to toxic substances in the environment, including exposure to metals and pesticides. Famed scientist Stephen Hawking suffered from ALS
The disease, which can cause paralysis and eventually death, claimed the life of Sandra Bullock’s co-star Bryan Randall (pictured with Sandra Bullock in 2018) last year.
The ALS Association revealed that the death of Sandra Bullock’s partner Bryan Randall led to a 500 per cent increase in donations to the charity. Her family asked people to donate to the ALS Association instead of sending or buying flowers.
Experts said today that the research showed it was vital to limit high-risk activities associated with metal exposure, such as machining activities, and said further research was “essential” to improve future treatments.
Dr Stephen Goutman, senior author of the study and associate director of the University of Michigan ALS Center of Excellence, said: ‘Strengthening our understanding of the importance of metal exposure as a risk factor for ALS is essential for future disease-specific prevention and improved therapeutic strategies.
‘Several epidemiological studies have linked exposure to metals with the risk of ALS.
‘However, it remains critical that we understand how these metal mixtures relate to ALS risk and survival, and to identify who is at greatest risk of exposure or who is most susceptible to exposure.’
Co-author Dr Dae Gyu Jang, a postdoctoral fellow in neurology at the University of Michigan, added: ‘These findings emphasize the need to consider occupational and environmental factors when assessing a person’s overall exposure risk.
‘Our future research will focus more on which exposures have the strongest associations and their implications for disease.’
Also known as motor neuron disease (MND), ALS It is a rare disease that progressively damages parts of the nervous system.
It occurs when specialized nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, called motor neurons, stop working properly, a condition known as neurodegeneration.
The life expectancy of approximately half of those suffering from this disease is between two and five years from the onset of symptoms.
However, some people can live up to 10 years, and in rarer circumstances, even longer.
Around 5,000 people in the UK and 30,000 in the US suffer from the condition.
Locked-in syndrome (LIS) is a rare neurological disorder that can also occur in some progressive cases of ALS.
In the study, researchers Metal levels were measured in plasma and urine samples from more than 450 people with ALS and nearly 300 people without the disease.
They found that elevated levels of individual metals, including copper, selenium and zinc, were significantly associated with an increased risk of ALS and earlier death.
Using these results to create environmental risk scores for ALS, they found that mixtures of metals in plasma and urine are linked to an approximately threefold increased risk of developing the disease.
Writing in the Journal of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatryThey added that participants who worked in occupations with a higher likelihood of metal exposure had higher levels of metal mixtures in their blood and urine.
It is estimated that up to 300 Britons and fewer than 1,000 Americans live with locked-in syndrome.
It is caused by damage to the brain stem, which contains nerves that transmit information to other parts of the body.
This type of damage usually occurs due to a lack of blood flow or bleeding following severe physical trauma.
Locked-in syndrome occurs on a scale such that some patients can move more parts of their body than others. However, there is currently no cure for this condition.
Many patients are confined to their beds, require constant care and can only breathe, eat and drink through special medical tubes.
Instead, treatment focuses on helping the patient develop small voluntary actions that are available to them, such as moving their fingers, swallowing, and making sounds.