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News Briefs
Gulf War ALS Study Results Reported
Veterans deployed to the Persian Gulf in the 1991 Gulf War have developed ALS
(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) at a rate that is twice as high as that among veterans
not deployed, according to a study published in the September 23 issue of the journal,
Neurology. Sometimes called "Lou Gehrig's disease", ALS kills brain and spinal cord cells
that control muscle movement, resulting in gradual muscle wasting and loss of movement. It
usually strikes those between the ages of 40 and 70, and affects as many as 30,000 Americans
at a given time.
The ALS Association served as a consultant to the departments of Defense and Veterans
Affairs, which conducted the study. The intent was to identify all occurrences of ALS in the
military since the start of the Gulf War. The Sept. 23 issue of the journal includes two
articles on the Gulf War ALS study, along with an editorial cautioning that the total number
of cases of ALS in the study was small.
A National Registry of Veterans with ALS has been established. For information, go to
www.rarediseases.org/research/clinicaltrials.
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