LOU GEHRIG'S DISEASE Study links military to ALS risk

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
SAN FRANCISCO -- A large new study has found a puzzling link between Lou Gehrig's disease and men who served in the U.S. military throughout most of the 20th century.
The research, presented Wednesday in San Francisco, is the second large study in the past year to find an unexplained connection between military service and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a rare but invariably fatal neurological disorder.
In 2003, a large study of members of the military who were deployed in the Persian Gulf region during the Gulf War showed that they had a substantially higher risk of getting ALS than service members who were not deployed in the region.
However, the new study focused on men who served in all settings throughout the 20th century, including World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam, but not the Gulf War. It was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
Overall risk
The study found that men who served in the military, overall, were 60 percent more likely to develop ALS than those who did not. Those who served in the Navy had somewhat higher risk than those who served in the Air Force, Army and National Guard.
"This study shows that the increased risk of ALS among military personnel does not appear to be specific to service during the Gulf War," said lead author Marc Weisskopf, an epidemiologist with the Harvard School of Public Health.
The whole issue of military service and ALS has become a controversial topic. Studies finding a heightened risk have been questioned about whether the link is real, but they continue to pile up.
Part of the problem is that none of the studies, including the one presented Wednesday, offers any real insight into what about military service may be causing the risk.
Cause unknown
The cause of ALS has eluded neurologists for decades.
Among military personnel, there has been speculation about a number of possibilities, including some chemical or environmental agent such as lead, vaccinations or viral infections, extreme physical exertion and stress.