According to a story from inhomelandsecurity.com, military veterans are roughly twice as likely to get amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a lethal degenerative disease that kills in as little as two years. May is ALS Awareness Month, and it is worth investigating why the risk of this rare disease appears to be statistically higher in the veteran population.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a mysterious disease that causes the deaths of the motor neurons that are responsible for the control of voluntary muscles. In most cases, this progressive disease worsens over the course of just a few years before the death of the patient. In about ten percent of cases, the disease is inherited from a person’s parents, but in the vast majority the cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis remains unknown. Symptoms tend to appear around age sixty, though the can appear at any time and tend to begin earlier in inherited cases. Symptoms include muscle atrophy, weakness, and spasms, declines in cognition (leading to dementia), problems speaking and swallowing, and repetitive phrases or gestures. Most die from respiratory failure. There is no cure for the disease and most treatment is supportive. Diet changes, physical therapy, and the drug riluzole can delay disease progression. To learn more about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, click here.
Scientists have known for years that military service seems to increase the risk of ALS, but the nature of this relationship is still unclear. Theories include exposure to toxic substances, prolonged stress, and long periods of physical exertion. It first came to light after the Gulf War, in which many veterans returned with a host of unusual diseases and conditions. These diseases were not normally related to each other and the exact cause of the phenomenon is unclear. Later research revealed that veterans from any conflict had greater risk of ALS.
This led to an increase in veteran supportive care from the VA in 2008. More in-depth study should be conducted in order to investigate the link between ALS and military service. If you would like to start spreading awareness about ALS and get involved in ALS Awareness Month, click here.
