[Analysis of the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis based on data of the Neurologic Clinic at the Medical Academy in Warsaw 1955-1979].

The natural history of ALS was analysed in a group of 132 cases. Three clinical types were isolated: typical (78% of cases), bulbar (14%) and polyneuropathic (8%). The typical and polyneuropathic types were more frequent in males, while females prevailed in the bulbar type. In most cases the onset was in the fifth decade of life and death occurred within three years. In 11% of cases the disease extended over many years despite presence of bulbar involvement. No familial occurrence of the disease was observed, although this has been reported in the literature. No cases were noted of the ALS-parkinsonism-dementia syndrome.