Background: Little is known about the etiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The association between cigarette smoking, but not other types of smoking and snuff dipping, and the risk of ALS has been evaluated in several epidemiologic studies. The findings were inconclusive. Methods: We studied the association of smoking and snuff dipping with the risk of ALS in the Swedish Construction Workers Cohort, which includes 280,558 male construction workers enrolled between 1978 and 1993 with detailed information on tobacco use. Incident cases of ALS were identified through cross-linkage to the Swedish Inpatient Register. Relative risks and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: After a mean follow-up duration of 19.6 years, we identified 160 incident cases of ALS through 2004. Compared with non-tobacco use, the relative risk of ALS was 0.8 (95% CI 0.6–1.1) for tobacco smoking and 0.6 (95% CI 0.3–1.5) for snuff dipping, respectively. For tobacco smoking, further stratified analyses of smoking status or types of tobacco smoking did not reveal any excess risks in any strata. Conclusions: Our study provides no evidence that smoking or snuff dipping is associated with an increased ALS risk among men.

Keywords:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Cigarette smoking, Snuff dipping
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel
2006
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.