Preliminary evidence from a large epidemiological study suggests that Gulf War veterans are nearly twice as likely as other veterans to develop the rare disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease". The one-year study was supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Defense.
The preliminary findings, which have not yet been published in a medical journal, were summarized in a December 10, 2001, news release from the Department of Veterans Affairs and may be reviewed on a VA web site (see below).
The study compared the number of veterans who served in Desert Shield-Desert Storm and later were diagnosed with ALS with the number of non-deployed veterans who were diagnosed with ALS during the same period. It does not attempt to explain why the number would be higher among deployed veterans, nor does it show that the increase was necessarily a result of service in the Gulf War. The cause of ALS is unknown (except in a small number of cases that are genetic). Additional research will be needed to determine whether service in the Gulf War actually caused ALS in these veterans, and if so, to identify the exact link between the two.
Among 700,000 veterans deployed to the Persian Gulf, the research team found 40 cases of ALS. The individual risk in that group appeared to be almost twice as high as the individual risk for 1.8 million veterans who did not serve in the Persian Gulf. However, because the number of cases still is small, it is not clear whether there is a link between Gulf War service and ALS.
The study was conducted at the Epidemiologic Research and Information Center at the VA Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services. The ALS Association, based in Calabasas Hills, California, advised the study leaders.
ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It results in a progressive loss of muscle function. The cause is not known, and there is no cure. The disease is associated with Lou Gehrig because he retired from baseball after being diagnosed with it, but other famous people, including Senator Jacob Javits, the actor David Niven, and another baseball player, Jim "Catfish" Hunter, also have had ALS.
Based on the results of the study, the Veterans Administration says it will offer disability and survivor benefits to veterans who served in the Persian Gulf during the period August 2, 2990, through July 31, 1991, and later developed Lou Gehrig's Disease.
For more information about the study, click here to visit the Department of Veterans Affairs Epidemiologic Research and Information Center web site.
Check here to read about events on Capitol Hill, funding for rare-disease research, and other topics of interest from NORD's office in Washington, DC.