Table 1.
Demographic and baseline characteristics
| Placebo (n=107) | Lithium (n=107) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 30 (28%) | 36 (34%) | |
| Ethnic origin, white | 104 (97%) | 106 (99%) | |
| Age at recruitment (years) | 59·5 (11·5) | 59·7 (9·9) | |
| Time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis (weeks) | 47·0 (27·8) | 46·3 (26·3) | |
| Time from diagnosis to recruitment (weeks) | 36·8 (29·0) | 34·0 (28·1) | |
| Disease duration at start of study (weeks) | 80·3 (33·8) | 83·8 (36·0) | |
| Bulbar site of onset | 24 (22%) | 23 (22%) | |
| Sporadic type of onset | 83 (78%) | 84 (79%) | |
| Right handedness | 94 (88%) | 92 (86%) | |
| El Escorial diagnostic category | |||
| Clinically definite ALS | 41 (38%) | 41 (38%) | |
| Clinically probable ALS | 43 (40%) | 37 (35%) | |
| Clinically probable laboratory supported ALS | 18 (17%) | 20 (19%) | |
| Clinically possible ALS | 5 (5%) | 9 (8%) | |
| Vital capacity in spirometry (% predicted) | 89·3 (17·0) | 93·3 (18·5) | |
| Pulse rate (beats per min) | 74·4 (12·2) | 76·7 (13·9) | |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 135·0 (16·9) | 132·6 (15·8) | |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 84·1 (12·0) | 83·6 (15·3) | |
| Time on riluzole at entry to study (days) | 198·5 (177·7) | 209·6 (192·0) | |
| ALS functional rating scale-revised | 38·64 (5·72) | 38·20 (5·66) | |
| HADS anxiety | 4·46 (3·76) | 4·59 (3·37) | |
| HADS depression | 4·00 (3·10) | 3·89 (2·84) | |
| EuroQoL health state tariff | 0·59 (0·28) | 0·59 (0·30) | |
| EuroQol health evaluation | 70·07 (19·48) | 68·50 (18·50) | |
Data are number (%) or mean (SD). ALS=amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. HADS=hospital anxiety and depression scale.