Gulf War service linked to Lou Gehrig's disease

From Reuters:

Gulf War service linked to Lou Gehrig's disease Last Updated: 2003-09-23 10:57:07 -0400 (Reuters Health) NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research provides further evidence that military service in the 1991 Gulf War raised the risk of Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a degenerative nerve condition that results in paralysis and eventually death. At present, there is no cure for the disease. In the new study, the rate of ALS in Gulf War veterans younger than 45 years of age was more than twice the rate expected in the general population. "ALS is extremely rare in young age groups," study author Dr. Robert W. Haley, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said in a statement. "Our findings suggest that some environmental exposure that these veterans had in the Gulf War greatly accelerated the ALS process so that it occurred at a much younger age." The new findings are in agreement with a Veterans Affairs report that showed a nearly twofold increased risk of ALS among Gulf War veterans compared with other veterans. Although an elevated risk was seen among all military branches, Air Force and Army personnel appeared to be at the highest risk. However, not all evidence points to a link between Gulf War service and ALS. In 2000, researchers reported no excess hospitalization for ALS, lupus, or fibromyalgia among Gulf War veterans. In the current study, reported in the medical journal Neurology, Haley reviewed military registries to identify ALS cases that were diagnosed between 1991 and 1998. During the study period, 20 ALS cases were confirmed in about 690,000 Gulf War veterans. All but three of these cases were diagnosed before 45 years of age. So far, eleven of the patients have died. As the 8-year period progressed, the excess ALS cases among Gulf War veterans rose. By 1998, the rate of ALS among veterans was three times higher than that expected in the general population. Still, not everyone is convinced that Gulf War service is a risk factor for ALS. "Although these researchers are to be congratulated for their thorough and painstaking work, there is still concern that this degree of excess risk is not convincing, especially given the small number of ALS cases and a number of potential (study design) flaws," Dr. Michael R. Rose, from King's College Hospital in London, notes in a related editorial. "The issue of ALS as a Gulf War-related illness will probably remain under scrutiny until the passage of time and accumulation of further evidence allows a firmer conclusion," he adds. SOURCE: Neurology, September 23, 2003.

So add this to the growing list of casualties from the careless exposure of servicemen to depleted uranium and various chemicals during Gulf War I. Other than the recurring outbreaks of "mysterious" respiratory illnesses which have resulted in several deaths, it will take years to ascertain the effects of exposure on our current boys/girls in Iraq. Bush will be long gone by then.