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Research Highlights
Study Links Gulf War Service with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS)
September 26, 2003
Veterans who served in the Persian Gulf in 1990 and 1991 have a nearly twofold risk of Lou Gehrig's disease compared to veterans of the same era who did not serve in the Gulf, according to research funded by VA and the Department of Defense. Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. Experts don't know what causes the disease, but they say it can take 10 years or longer to develop. This study, published in Neurology, was the first to track Gulf veterans for at least a decade and the first to include all military personnel on active duty during the war-regardless of whether they were deployed to the Gulf. Based on preliminary findings released in 2001, VA announced it would provide benefits to Gulf War veterans who subsequently develop ALS.
Horner RD, Kamins KG, Feussner JR,
Grambow SC, Hoff-Lindquist J, Harati Y, Mitsumoto H, Pascuzzi R, Spencer PS,
Tim R, Howard D, Smith TC, Ryan MA, Coffman CJ, Kasarskis EJ. Neurology. 2003 Sep 23; 61(6): 742-9. Occurrence of amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis among Gulf War veterans.
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