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BERLIN (Ivanhoe Newswire) — German researchers have identified genetic abnormalities in patients with non-hereditary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS is a progressive disease of the nervous system commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Investigators examined the chromosomes of 85 people in Germany with sporadic, or non-hereditary, ALS. Five people in the study had chromosomal abnormalities at a rate of 5.9 percent. This appears to be a low rate until it is compared to genetic abnormalities in people without ALS.

Study author Thomas Meyer, M.D., from Charite University Hospital in Berlin, says, “Since the normal rate of chromosomal abnormalities in healthy people is .05 to .1 percent, this is a very high rate for people with ALS. It’s very unlikely that these two conditions could appear together that often and not be related.”

Researchers also tested the patients’ family members for genetic abnormalities. Family members of four of the five patients had the same chromosomal abnormality as their relative but showed no symptoms of the disease. This suggests the abnormality was most likely transmitted by a parent who was a carrier.

Dr. Meyer adds the finding suggests the chromosomal rearrangements are a previously unknown risk factor for sporadic ALS. Studying these rearrangements, he says, plays an important role in identifying genes involved in other diseases.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers a searchable archive of its medical reports written since 1995. To search, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/search/.

SOURCE: Neurology, 2003;60:1348-1350