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Ed Yeates ReportingA new report suggests there may be a link between military service and the development, later in life, of ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Though the study is small and controversial, the Institute of Medicine says it begs for more research.
Is there something about the rigors of military service or the wars these soldiers may later end up fighting that triggers the rare but fatal neuro-degenerative disorder called ALS? Limited evidence suggests there may be a connection, but the author of a report from Johns Hopkins University says it's sparse and far from conclusive.
Still, the Department of Veterans Affairs currently compensates soldiers with ALS, but only if they served in the Persian Gulf War. Veteran support groups say researchers need to follow more young veterans from that war and the current war in Iraq. The Institute of Medicine says more than just "association" research is needed.
Frank Maughan, Utah Veterans Advisory Council: "What we desperately need is for these kids to get into this system so we can start tracking anything, but certainly this kind of thing."
Coincidentally, the University of Utah is getting ready to start a very large study on ALS, looking at a number of factors behind the disease, including environmental triggers. That study will look at much more than just military service -- anything and everything an ALS patient has done prior to the onset of the disease.
Mark Bromberg, M.D., Ph.D., University of Utah Dept. of Neurology: "What do they do in their adult life, what kind of work do they do, where do they live, and so on. And so we will have many, many more elements to look for coordination with."
The team will draw blood, looking at DNA.
Mark Bromberg, M.D., Ph.D., University of Utah Dept. of Neurology: "We will be able to do broad screening of environmental factors and any difference in DNA and see if we can come up with a match."
They'll look at not just environmental triggers but also the link to the genetic susceptibility to ALS.
Dr. Bromberg says results from the study may have application to other degenerative neurological diseases as well.
