CREAGEN - Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Rev Environ Health. 2012;27(1):19-41. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2012-0002.
The etiology of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of this degenerative disease of the motor neurons, is still unknown, despite extensive investigation of several genetic and environmental potential risk factors. We have reviewed laboratory and epidemiological studies assessing the role of exposure to neurotoxic chemicals (metalloid selenium; heavy metals mercury, cadmium, and lead; pesticides) in ALS etiology by summarizing the results of these investigations and examining their strengths and limitations. Despite limitations in the exposure assessment methodologies typically used in human studies, we found suggestive epidemiological evidence and biologic plausibility for an association between ALS and antecedent overexposure to environmental selenium and pesticides. The relation with mercury, cadmium, and lead appears weaker.
散发性肌萎缩侧索硬化症（ALS）的病因，即运动神经元退行性疾病最常见的形式，尽管对多种遗传和环境潜在风险因素进行了广泛研究，但仍未明确。我们对评估神经毒性化学物质（类金属硒；重金属汞、镉和铅；农药）暴露在 ALS 病因学中的作用的实验室和流行病学研究进行了综述，通过总结这些研究的结果并检查其优缺点来评估其作用。尽管在人类研究中通常使用的暴露评估方法存在局限性，但我们发现了有提示性的流行病学证据和生物学上的合理性，表明 ALS 与环境硒和农药先前过度暴露之间存在关联。与汞、镉和铅的关系似乎较弱。
