Timing of functional decline and associated prognosis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A shorter time between onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and functional decline in a region was found to be associated with shorter regional progression intervals, meaning a faster progression from regional involvement to severe functional impairment (bulbar region, P<0.001; upper limbs region, P=0.002; lower limbs region, P=0.009; respiratory/thoracic region, P=0.005).
Wide heterogeneity in ALS-associated functional decline makes classifying patients and quantifying prognosis challenging. However, based on this data, the authors concluded that time to functional decline in a region may indicate speed of disability progression.