Objective:

Investigate the epidemiological characteristics and prevalence of outpatients with ALS in 2022 using data from public healthcare system secondary database (DATASUS) in Brazil.

Background:

Two drugs are approved for ALS treatment in Brazil: Riluzole, with access through the Brazilian public healthcare system (SUS), and Edaravone, accessed through out-of-pocket buy. The global prevalence is 3-5 per 100,000 population. A regional brazilian study in Porto Alegre city, estimated that the prevalence was similar to global data. There are global epidemiological studies, but in Brazil there is no nation-wide research.

Design/Methods:

We collected data from DATASUS medication dispensation module and mortality data was obtained from the DATASUS obituary database, both in 2022. The population collected was diagnosed with ALS, selected by ICD-10 G-12.2. Variables of Geographical Region, Sex, Age Group and Domestic Location were collected.

Results:

The database contains 46,276 records of 5,894 outpatients with ALS. The population was 56% male with a median age of 57 years old. Observing the Age Group of outpatients, 20% were between 0-49 years, 27% between 50-59 years, 32% between 60-69 years, and 21% were 70 years or older. Evaluating the Geographical Regions, a higher presence was observed in the Southeast region (51%), while the North region had the lowest percentage (4%). The common Domestic Location for medication dispensation were the capitals (53%). The national prevalence was 2.84, and the age-adjusted rate was 5.7 per 100,000 inhabitants and the mortality rate was 1.54.

Conclusions:

The study presents a comprehensive analysis of ALS prevalence and demographics in Brazil for 2022. The data highlights a national age-adjusted prevalence of 5.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, suggesting a higher prevalence on elderly Brazilians. An unusual behavior compared to global estimations. These findings underscore the importance of epidemiological research in Brazil to address public health challenges related to ALS.