Objective: To apply the multistep model of pathogenesis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to data from a multiethnic Malaysian registry.
Methods: Clinical data, including age at symptom onset, was collected from 289 patients who presented to our multidisciplinary clinic from 2016 until 2024. A least squares linear regression model was constructed from the logarithm of approximated incidence and the logarithm of age. Population incidence was approximated by adjusting the absolute numbers of patients in 5 year groups by the size of the general population in the respective age group.
Results: A linear relationship between log of incidence versus log of age was observed, with a slope of 4.57 (95% CI, 3.3-5.8) and an r2 value of 0.93, suggesting a 6-step process.
Conclusion: Progression toward symptom onset in Malaysian ALS patients appears consistent with a multistep model of disease as observed in other cohorts.
Keywords: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; epidemiology; incidence; multistep model.