A retrospective cohort study using UK-wide electronic health records found that patients with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) had more than twice the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) compared with matched controls. The analysis included 85,690 adults with TBI and 257,070 without, followed for a median of 5.72 years. ALS incidence was 13.12 per 100,000 person-years among those with TBI vs 5.05 per 100,000 in comparators. The risk was highest within the first two years after injury (hazard ratio, 6.18; 95% CI, 3.47–11.00) before declining to baseline levels. The findings highlight a temporal association between TBI and ALS risk, underscoring the importance of early neurological monitoring after head trauma.

Source: JAMA Network Open