Takeaway
People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were more likely to have a previous autoimmune disease diagnosis than matched controls without ALS.
Why this matters ?
Previous studies have suggested an association between ALS and numerous autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ulcerative colitis and others, with chronic inflammation proposed as a linking factor.
It is not clear the extent of the overlap, nor whether this can be attributed to similar genetic risk factors underling ALS and autoimmune conditions.