Desert Vets Information Page 1

DESERT STORM VETS HAVE HIGHER RATE OF ALS

According to a news release on December 10, 2001 from the Department ofVeterans Affairs, researchers conducting a large epidemiological study supported by both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense have found preliminary evidence that veterans who served in Desert Shield-Desert Storm are nearly twice as likely as their non-deployed counterparts to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

This study, begun in March 2000, involved nearly 700,000 service members deployed to Southwest Asia, and 1.8 million who were not deployed to the Gulf during the period August 2, 1990 to July 31, 1991.

The study found 40 cases of ALS among deployed veterans. Although the researchers found the risk of ALS to be twice as high for deployed veterans, it is a rare disease and the number of affected individuals is small. Scientists would expect to find 33 cases in a similar-sized population over the same time period.

“These findings are of great concern and warrant further study,” said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. “I intend to make
certain that VA’s medical resources and research capabilities are fully focused on this issue.”

For more information about this study, please visit the US Department of Veterans Affairs Epidemiologic Research and Information Center web site at
http://hsrd.durham.med.va.gov/eric/als/als.htm.

Last Modified: Thursday, December 13, 2001