TIÊU CHUẨN GOLD COAST TRONG CHẨN ĐOÁN BỆNH XƠ CỨNG CỘT BÊN TEO CƠ

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the role of the Gold Coast criteria in the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 52 patients with ALS diagnosed according to the Gold Coast criteria at the Institute of Neurology, Bach Mai Hospital, from January 2024 to September 2025. All patients underwent clinical examination and electromyography and were concurrently classified according to the Gold Coast and Awaji criteria. In this study, patients classified as “definite” or “probable” were considered to have fulfilled the Awaji criteria, whereas those classified as “possible” or “not fulfilling the criteria” were considered not to have fulfilled the Awaji criteria.

Results: Among the 52 patients who fulfilled the Gold Coast criteria, 38 (73.1%) also fulfilled the Awaji criteria, while 14 (26.9%) did not. McNemar’s test showed a statistically significant difference between the two classifications (continuity-corrected χ² = 12.07; p < 0.001). The interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was 5.69 ± 6.25 months in patients who did not fulfill the Awaji criteria, shorter than the 15.05 ± 20.50 months observed in those who fulfilled the Awaji criteria (p < 0.05). According to the site of onset, the proportion of patients fulfilling the Gold Coast criteria but not the Awaji criteria ranged from 23.1% to 29.0%.

Conclusion: Among patients who fulfilled the Gold Coast criteria, 26.9% had not fulfilled the Awaji criteria at the time of assessment. These findings suggest that the Gold Coast criteria may help identify additional ALS cases that have not yet been classified as “definite” or “probable” according to the Awaji criteria. Longitudinal studies are needed to directly evaluate the potential contribution of the Gold Coast criteria to earlier diagnosis.