Prevalence and Factors Related to Pathological Laughter and Crying in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Objective: This study aimed to explore the prevalence and clinical correlates of pathological laughter and crying (PLC) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: A total of 1,031 ALS patients were enrolled between August 2012 and August 2019. The PLC was recorded by a face-to-face interview. Other characteristics of patients, including depression, anxiety, cognition, and behavior function, were also evaluated. The potential associated factors of PLC were explored using forward binary regression analysis. Survival was analyzed in groups using propensity score matching (PSM) and Cox proportional hazards models. Results: The prevalence of PLC was 11.4% in all patients at baseline. Bulbar-onset and female patients had higher prevalence of PLC. The multivariate regression analysis indicated that PLC in ALS was associated with bulbar onset (p < 0.001), late disease stage (p < 0.001), and higher score in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) (p = 0.012). The higher score of HDRS was significantly and independently associated with PLC occurrence in bulbar-onset patients (p = 0.032). The late disease stage was related to PLC occurrence in spinal-onset patients (p < 0.001). After comparison with matched pairs by using PSM, PLC at baseline had no impact on survival. Conclusion: PLC was not uncommon in ALS, especially in bulbar-onset and female patients. We highlighted that the emotional state other than cognitive function had possible relationship with PLC in ALS.

Automated summary

The study aimed to explore the prevalence and clinical correlates of pathological laughter and crying (PLC) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Results showed that PLC was not uncommon in ALS, especially in bulbar-onset and female patients. Emotional state and disease stage were found to be important factors associated with PLC in ALS.