Effects of the early diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on the patient: disadvantages.

While the early diagnosis of disease is generally desirable, this is not always so. There is reason to be concerned about the reliability of clinical diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), based on currently available methods, early in the disease process. Applying the standard of cost-effectiveness it is possible to estimate the effort required to extend the lifespan of persons who are detected through a screening programme. Until it is possible to alter the treatment outcome, patients have little to gain by the early detection of ALS.