Research

Open access  CC BY NC ND

Neurology
Volume 224 - Issue 3

Motor Neuron Disease Mortality Trends in Australia From 1986 to 2023: A Population-Based Study

Authors:  Carol M. Y. Lee, Rupendra N. Shrestha, Julian Gold, Mark Stevenson, Kelly L. Williams, Lyndal Henden, Sandrine K. K. Chan Moi Fat, Zoe Zussa, Amanda Wright, Martin Jude, Mark A. S. Laidlaw, Willem J. R. Fokkink, Dominic B. Rowe

Correspondence: dominic.rowe@mq.edu.au

Med J Aust 2026 || doi: 10.5694/mja2.70168
Published online: 24 March 2026
Download PDF (1 MB)
Share: Share on Blue Sky Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share by email

Abstract

Objectives

To analyse longitudinal change in motor neuron disease (MND) mortality in Australia from 1986 to 2023.

Design

Australian population-based study of MND mortality.

Setting

All MND mortality and Australian population data from 1 January 1986 to 31 December 2023 were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Main Outcome Measures

MND mortality records were analysed, and certified deaths were summarised by year of registration. MND mortality rates, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and Joinpoint regression trends were calculated. Data were further subset by demographic and geographical categories to report Australian MND mortality by age group, sex, state/territory location and remoteness areas classification.

Results

In Australia, the total number of MND deaths more than tripled over the past 37years, from 238 in 1986 to 781 in 2023. The unadjusted mortality rate in 1986 was 1.49 (95% CI, 1.30–1.69) per 100,000 population and increased to 2.93 (95% CI, 2.73–3.14) per 100,000 population by 2023. After age standardisation, the annual percentage change across 1986–2023 was determined to be 0.47% (95% confidence limit, 0.16–0.86). Joinpoint modelling suggests a more recent reduction in adjusted mortality rates. In 2023, MND accounted for 0.43% of all-cause deaths in Australia, increasing from 0.21% in 1986. The number of MND deaths in Australia peaked at age 70–79years. MND mortality was higher among men than women (rate ratio, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.33–1.51). MND mortality rates were similar among New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland (2.93, 3.08 and 2.85 per 100,000 population, respectively), with higher rates in South Australia and Tasmania (3.44 and 4.12 per 100,000 population, respectively). MND mortality rates were higher in inner and outer regional areas (3.90 and 3.24 per 100,000 population, respectively) compared with major cities (2.79 per 100,000 population).

Conclusions

Adjusted MND mortality rates in Australia increased over 37years.

View this article on Wiley Online Library

More like this

Neurology Perspective 3 November 2025 Free

Mild traumatic brain injury and concussion and persisting post‐concussion symptoms: new guidelines to support evidence‐based assessment and management in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand

Karen M Barlow, Jennie L Ponsford, Alice Theodom, Gill Cowen, Gavin A Davis, Vicki Anderson, Franz E Babl, David Cole, Jennifer Cullen, Stuart R Dalziel, Melinda Fitzgerald, Howard Flavell, Caroline Yates, Rebecca Kimble, John H Olver, Rhonda Orr, Mark Ralfe, Michael Rose, Nick Rushworth, Julia Treleaven, Gary Browne, Nathan Delang, Sarah Harris, Gary Mitchell, Sean Tweedy

Neurology Research 4 August 2025 Open Access

The prevalence of and variation in indicators of the quality and safety of long term aged care in Australia, 2019: a cross‐sectional population‐based study

Tesfahun C Eshetie, Gillian E Caughey, Catherine Lang, Olivia Ryan, Renuka Visvanathan, Craig Whitehead, Keith Evans, Janet K Sluggett, Jyoti Khadka, Carolyn Dawkins, Helena Williams, Miranda Starke, Sara Blunt, Anne Liddell, Megan Corlis, Anna Sheppeard, Penelope Lello, Marilyn Thien, Steven L Wesselingh, Maria C Inacio

View more