Link Between Lou Gehrig's Disease And Gulf War Service

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Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 11 Nov 2006 - 9:00 PDT

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The risk of a Gulf War veteran developing Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) later on is 50% higher than for other people, say researchers from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), USA. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease, which is often fatal - the patient's nerve cells progressively breakdown, he/she loses muscle control, and eventually becomes paralyzed.

ALS = Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis = Lou Gehrig's disease

About 20,000 - 30,000 people in the USA have ALS.

According to Dr. Richard Johnson, lead author of a new report, the link is appears pretty strong. In general, he said, the risk for a soldier developing ALS one day is 50% greater than for people who were never in the military - this 50% raised risk refers to soldiers or ex-soldiers who were not in the Gulf War.

The writers of the report looked at five studies, of which three included data on veterans who had been in the Gulf War (1990-91). One of the studies indicated that people who had served in the military before 1990-91, but had not served in the Gulf War, had a 1.5 higher probability of developing ALS. Another study found no link at all between military service (Gulf War and non-Gulf War) and altered ALS risk.

Dr. Johnson stressed that further studies are needed to confirm their findings. If a link is confirmed, we need to find out why. Could it be exposure to toxic chemicals, the result of traumatic experiences, being physically pushed to the limits, or something else?

Even though there does seem to be evidence suggesting a link between raised ALS risk and military service, especially Gulf War service, Johnson said the risk for veterans is still tiny. The risk for the general population is about 1 in 100,000. Even if the risk were double, it would be 1 in 50,000.

"Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Veterans: Review of the Scientific Literature"
Institute of Medicine
Click here to purchase at IOM web site - Costs $16.20

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
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