TY - JOUR
T1 - Associations of Electric Shock and Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Field Exposure With the Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: The Euro-MOTOR Project
AU - Peters, Susan
AU - Visser, Anne E.
AU - D'Ovidio, Fabrizio
AU - Beghi, Ettore
AU - Chiò, Adriano
AU - Logroscino, Giancarlo
AU - Hardiman, Orla
AU - Kromhout, Hans
AU - Huss, Anke
AU - Veldink, Jan
AU - Vermeulen, Roel
AU - Van Den Berg, Leonard H.
N1 - Funding Information:
Author affiliations: Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands (Susan Peters, Anne E. Visser, Jan Veldink, Leonard H. van den Berg); Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands (Susan Peters, Hans Kromhout, Anke Huss, Roel Vermeulen); Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Torino, Torino, Italy (Fabrizio D’Ovidio, Adriano Chiò); Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS–Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy (Ettore Beghi, Giancarlo Logroscino); Unit of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Lecce, Italy (Giancarlo Logroscino); Pia Fondazione de Culto e Religione Cardinale Giovanni Panico, Lecce, Italy (Giancarlo Logroscino); and Academic Unit of Neurology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland (Orla Hardiman). R.V. and L.H.v.d.B. contributed equally to this work. Research leading to these results was funded by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (grant FP7/2007-2013) and the Netherlands ALS Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The Author(s).
PY - 2019/4/1
Y1 - 2019/4/1
N2 - We explored the associations of occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and electric shocks with the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a pooled case-control study (European Multidisciplinary ALS Network Identification to Cure Motor Neurone Degeneration (Euro-MOTOR)) of data from 3 European countries. ALS patients and population-based controls were recruited in Ireland, Italy, and the Netherlands between 2010 and 2015. Lifetime occupational and lifestyle histories were obtained using structured questionnaires. We applied previously developed job exposure matrices assigning exposure levels to ELF-MF and potential for electric shocks. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by means of logistic regression for exposure to either ELF-MF or electric shocks, adjusted for age, sex, study center, education, smoking, and alcohol consumption and for the respective other exposure. Complete occupational histories and information on confounding variables were available for 1,323 clinically confirmed ALS cases and 2,704 controls. Both ever having had exposure to ELF-MF above the background level (odds ratio = 1.16, 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.33) and ever having had potential exposure above background for electric shocks (odds ratio = 1.23, 95% confidence interval: 1.05, 1.43) were associated with ALS. Adjustment for the respective other exposure resulted in similar risk estimates. Heterogeneity in risks across study centers was significant for both exposures. Our findings support possible independent associations of occupational exposure to ELF-MF and electric shocks with the risk of ALS.
AB - We explored the associations of occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and electric shocks with the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a pooled case-control study (European Multidisciplinary ALS Network Identification to Cure Motor Neurone Degeneration (Euro-MOTOR)) of data from 3 European countries. ALS patients and population-based controls were recruited in Ireland, Italy, and the Netherlands between 2010 and 2015. Lifetime occupational and lifestyle histories were obtained using structured questionnaires. We applied previously developed job exposure matrices assigning exposure levels to ELF-MF and potential for electric shocks. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by means of logistic regression for exposure to either ELF-MF or electric shocks, adjusted for age, sex, study center, education, smoking, and alcohol consumption and for the respective other exposure. Complete occupational histories and information on confounding variables were available for 1,323 clinically confirmed ALS cases and 2,704 controls. Both ever having had exposure to ELF-MF above the background level (odds ratio = 1.16, 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.33) and ever having had potential exposure above background for electric shocks (odds ratio = 1.23, 95% confidence interval: 1.05, 1.43) were associated with ALS. Adjustment for the respective other exposure resulted in similar risk estimates. Heterogeneity in risks across study centers was significant for both exposures. Our findings support possible independent associations of occupational exposure to ELF-MF and electric shocks with the risk of ALS.
KW - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
KW - electric shock
KW - extremely low-frequency magnetic fields
KW - occupational exposure
KW - pooled case-control studies
KW - Ireland/epidemiology
KW - Humans
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Risk Factors
KW - Occupational Exposure/adverse effects
KW - Electric Injuries/epidemiology
KW - Logistic Models
KW - Male
KW - Occupational Diseases/epidemiology
KW - Case-Control Studies
KW - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/epidemiology
KW - Italy/epidemiology
KW - Adult
KW - Female
KW - Magnetic Fields/adverse effects
KW - Netherlands/epidemiology
KW - Odds Ratio
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85064128808&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/aje/kwy287
DO - 10.1093/aje/kwy287
M3 - Article
C2 - 30649156
AN - SCOPUS:85064128808
SN - 0002-9262
VL - 188
SP - 796
EP - 805
JO - American Journal of Epidemiology
JF - American Journal of Epidemiology
IS - 4
ER -