Gulf War service linked to neurodegenerative disease - Brief Article

AORN Journal,  Dec, 2003  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

A study shows that veterans who were deployed to the Persian Gulf during the 1991 Gulf War have developed amyotrophic Lateral schlerosis (ALS) at twice the rate of veterans who were not deployed to the Persian Gulf, according to a Sept 22, 2003, news release from the ALS Association. Commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder that kills brain and spinal cord cells that control muscle movement, which results in gradual muscle wasting and loss of movement. Typically, ALS affects people between the ages of 40 and 70.

The ALS association is collaborating with the Department of Veterans Affairs in an effort to enroll all Living veterans with ALS in a national registry to track their health status. The purpose of this registry is to make veterans with this disorder aware of emerging treatment studies and offer them the opportunity to participate in research to identify potential causes of the disease. Identifying these veterans also will help increase understanding of any links between military service and ALS.

New Research Involving Gulf War Veterans Could Provide Insight About ALS (news release, Calabasas Hills, Calif: The ALS Association, Sept 22, 2003).

COPYRIGHT 2003 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group