Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a severe, neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Treatment involves multidisciplinary care, implying substantial healthcare resource use (HCRU). This study evaluated HCRU among patients with ALS in Europe.
METHODS: A targeted literature review was conducted. Searches of MEDLINE and Embase were performed in January 2026. Eligible studies were those reporting quantitative HCRU outcomes in European ALS populations, published in English from 2019 onwards. Data was extracted using a standardised template in Microsoft Excel and synthesised descriptively to enable comparison across studies.
RESULTS: ourteen studies were included, with sample sizes ranging from 27 to 18,289. Evidence was drawn from Belgium (n=1), France (n=3), Germany (n=3), Iceland (n=1), Italy (n=2), Spain (n=1), Sweden (n=2), and the United Kingdom (n=1). Across studies, outpatient visits were the most frequently utilised resource, ranging from 5 to 20 visits per month on average. Up to 97.5% of patients required at least one outpatient visit. This was followed by emergency room use, reported in approximately 30-50% of patients. Mean hospital length of stay varied considerably, ranging from 5 to 55 days. Disease severity was a key driver of HCRU. A positive association between disease progression and resource use was consistently observed, with healthcare utilisation reported to be up to five times higher in late-stage ALS compared with early-stage disease.
CONCLUSIONS: ALS is associated with a high level of HCRU in Europe, with utilisation increasing as the disease progresses. However, heterogeneity in study design and sample sizes highlights the need for large, population-based studies to more accurately quantify HCRU and better inform healthcare resource planning.