\ Researchers \ ALS May Hit Gulf War Vets Twice as Often
The Neurology issue also contained an editorial expressing concern that the added risk to veterans could not be calculated with great certainty because of the small number of ALS cases. Researchers are continuing attempts to identify all cases of ALS in the military after the start of the Gulf War. The ALS Association (ALSA) in the United States is collaborating with the Department of Veteran Affairs to enroll all living veterans with ALS in a national registry of veterans with ALS, which will identify and track the health status of the diagnosed veterans. The veterans will also have the opportunity to participate in research into potential causes of the disease as well as emerging treatment studies. “The challenge is in understanding what the environmental exposures may be that are responsible for the higher incidence,” said Dr. Lucie Bruijn, ALSA science director and vice president. “The hope of course is that this will provide information about the disease mechanism.”
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ALS May Hit Gulf War Vets Twice as Often
Veterans who were deployed to the Gulf War may be developing a higher rate of ALS. New research into the occurrence of ALS in American veterans deployed to the Persian Gulf during the 1991 Gulf War reveals the veterans have almost twice the incidence of ALS compared to veterans not deployed to the region. Additional research, which focused on age of diagnosis, found the deployed veterans are developing ALS at more than twice the rate of the general population. The findings, published in two studies in the September 23 issue of the journal Neurology, could provide insight about potential environmental causes of ALS.The Neurology issue also contained an editorial expressing concern that the added risk to veterans could not be calculated with great certainty because of the small number of ALS cases. Researchers are continuing attempts to identify all cases of ALS in the military after the start of the Gulf War. The ALS Association (ALSA) in the United States is collaborating with the Department of Veteran Affairs to enroll all living veterans with ALS in a national registry of veterans with ALS, which will identify and track the health status of the diagnosed veterans. The veterans will also have the opportunity to participate in research into potential causes of the disease as well as emerging treatment studies. “The challenge is in understanding what the environmental exposures may be that are responsible for the higher incidence,” said Dr. Lucie Bruijn, ALSA science director and vice president. “The hope of course is that this will provide information about the disease mechanism.”
| Posted On: Monday, April 19, 2004 Modified: Monday, April 19, 2004 Category: Researchers Posted By: |