Table 1.
Demographics and medical information for the participants with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Severity of bulbar symptoms was from the clinical notes of the speech-language pathologist.
| Participant | Age (years) | Sex | Months since ALS Diagnosis | Clinical bulbar symptoms? | Comorbidities | Taking Riluzole? | PEG? | FVC% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1 | 65 | M | 46 | Dysarthria (mild–moderate) | Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia | N | Y | 58 |
| Dysphagia (mild–moderate) | ||||||||
| B2 | 64 | F | 25 | Dysarthria (mild) | Fibromyalgia | N | N | 74 |
| Dysphagia (mild) | ||||||||
| B3 | 71 | M | 32 | Dysarthria (mild–moderate) | Ventricular tachycardia, hypothyroidism | N | N | 66 |
| Dysphagia (mild) | ||||||||
| B4 | 71 | F | 44 | Dysarthria (minimal) | Hypothyroidism | Y | Y | 30 |
| Dysphagia (severe) | ||||||||
| B5 | 77 | F | 7 | Dysarthria (moderate) | Asthma, hypercholesterolemia | N | Y | 46 |
| Dysphagia (severe) | ||||||||
| B6 | 68 | M | 56 | Dysarthria (mild–moderate) | — | N | Y | 43 |
| Dysphagia (mild–moderate) | ||||||||
| B7 | 44 | F | 80 | Dysarthria (moderate–severe) | — | Y | N | 47 |
| Dysphagia (minimal) | ||||||||
| B8 | 57 | M | 18 | Dysarthria (mild–moderate) | Hypertension | N | N | 63 |
| Dysphagia (minimal) | ||||||||
| S1 | 64 | M | 13 | — | — | N | N | 75 |
| S2 | 46 | M | 18 | — | — | N | N | 104 |
| S3 | 71 | M | 33 | — | Hypertension, restless leg syndrome, asthma, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia | N | N | 61 |
| S4 | 57 | F | 13 | — | Asthma, hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism | N | N | 73 |
| S5 | 58 | M | 12 | — | Hypercholesterolemia, Hypertension | Y | N | 97 |
| M | 63 | 8 M | 31 months | 8 with bulbar symptoms | ||||
| SD | 9 | 5 F | 48 months | 5 without bulbar symptoms |
Note. PEG = percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, FVC% = forced vital capacity as percentage of predicted value, B = ALS subject with bulbar symptoms, S = ALS subject with spinal symptoms.