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. 2021 Aug 9;10(1):28.
doi: 10.1186/s40035-021-00253-2.

The Gold Coast criteria increases the diagnostic sensitivity for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a Chinese population

Dongchao Shen  1 , Xunzhe Yang  1 , Yanying Wang  1 , Di He  1 , Xiaohan Sun  1 , Zhengyi Cai  1 , Jinyue Li  1 , Mingsheng Liu  1 , Liying Cui  2   3
Affiliations

The Gold Coast criteria increases the diagnostic sensitivity for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a Chinese population

Dongchao Shen et al. Transl Neurodegener. .

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess and compare the diagnostic utility of a new diagnostic criteria for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), abbreviated as the 'Gold Coast Criteria', with the revised El Escorial (rEEC) and Awaji criteria.

Methods: Clinical and electrophysiological data of 1185 patients from January 2014 to December 2019 in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital ALS database were reviewed. The sensitivity of the Gold Coast criteria was compared to that of the possible rEEC and Awaji criteria (defined by the proportion of patients categorized as definite, probable, or possible ALS).

Results: A final diagnosis of ALS was recorded in 1162 patients. The sensitivity of the Gold Coast criteria (96.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 95.3%-97.5%) was greater than that of the rEEC (85.1%, 95%CI = 82.9%-87.1%) and Awaji (85.3%, 95%CI = 83.2%-87.3%). In addition, the sensitivity of the novel criteria maintained robust across subgroups, and the advantage was more prominent in limb-onset ALS patients and those who completed electromyographic tests. In those who did not achieve any of the rEEC diagnostic categories, the sensitivity of Gold Coast criteria was 84.4%.

Conclusions: The current study demonstrated that the Gold Coast criteria exhibited greater diagnostic sensitivity than the rEEC and Awaji criteria in a Chinese ALS population. The application of the Gold Coast criteria should be considered in clinical practice and future therapeutic trials.

Keywords: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Diagnostic criteria; Gold Coast; Sensitivity.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of the study. ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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