@article{oai:soar-ir.repo.nii.ac.jp:00004217, author = {吉田, 邦広 and 矢彦沢, 裕之 and 田畑, 賢一 and 大原, 慎司 and 羽生, 憲直 and 池田, 修一}, issue = {4}, journal = {信州医学雑誌}, month = {Aug}, note = {The clinical status and daily-life activity of 136 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) living in Nagano prefecture were evaluated. The mean age of the patients was 67.4 ± 10.4 years, and the mean age at onset was 61.0 ± 12.3 years. Thirty-nine patients (29.1%)developed the disease after 70 years of age. The mean duration of disease was 6.5 years (maximum 41 years), and 26 patients showed a duration of disease of over 10 years. Sixteen of these patients did not need artificial nutritional or respiratory support. Sixty-seven patients (49.3%) needed total support for dressing and 54 (39.7%) for walking/moving. Forty-nine (36.3%) were unable to speak, and 49 (36.0%)needed tube feeding. Sixty-six (48.5%)had respiratory difficulties, and 34 needed mechanical ventilation. Only 27 patients (19.9 %)were almost independent. Out of 133 patients, 99 (74.4%)lived in their own home, with the remainder being hospitalized or institutionalized. Of the 34 patients requiring mechanical ventilation, 19 (55.9 %) lived in their own home, 12 were hospitalized, and 3 were institutionalized. A tendency of late-onset for ALS patients, which has been recently reported worldwide, was confirmed in Nagano. There were a significant number of ALS patients who had not developed bulbar palsy or respiratory failure regardless of duration of disease. As expected, artificial respiratory support was a major factor in the confinement of ALS patients to hospitals or nursing institutions., Article, 信州医学雑誌 55(4): 181-190(2007)}, pages = {181--190}, title = {長野県在住の筋萎縮性側索硬化症患者の臨床的重症度と療養実態}, volume = {55}, year = {2007} }