U.S. motor neuron disease mortality rates declined from 2010 to 2023
Original source
Motor Neuron Disease Mortality in the United States, 2010-2023: A demographic, geographic, and temporal analysis. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Studied in
- Human
Population inferred from the title and abstract by Compass.
A U.S. analysis found that motor neuron disease (MND)-associated mortality rates declined significantly from 2010 to 2023. Rates were higher among men, people who were White or non-Hispanic, older adults, and residents of northern states. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) accounts for almost 80% of MNDs, according to the study.
Why this matters
The findings describe national and regional differences in recorded MND deaths, which may help researchers and health planners identify patterns in disease burden and care access. They do not show why the differences occurred or establish that treatments caused the decline, so they do not by themselves change treatment for people living with ALS or other MNDs.
Limitations and context
This journal study used U.S. death-record data from 2010–2023 and included records listing the MND code G12.2 as a cause of death. Mortality data cannot establish disease incidence, explain the differences between groups or states, or show that longer survival resulted from treatment or care access. The analysis also groups MNDs together rather than reporting ALS-specific outcomes.