Chemical cause sought for damage to soldiers' nerves.

[Guest guest]

As I have been off-line for a while and missed a great deal, am listing

this as I have not seen it posted on PLS News which I have been trying to keep

up with. I seem to remember also reading an article where the increased risk of

ALS has been linked to other wars. Can anyone verify?

I found an article in our paper today continuing discussion stating that

stress alters permeability of blood/brain barrier. Could not track article

further. Has anyone seen it?

Regards, Sue Ellen

Chemical cause sought for damage to soldiers' nerves.

30 April 2004

EMILY SINGER

Researchers hope to ork with the military to assess the

different chemicals used in deployments.

© BrandX

Men who have served in the US military are 60% more likely to develop a

fatal muscle-wasting disease than civilians, research suggests. The study hints

that all military personnel are at increased risk, not just those who served in

the first Gulf War.

The nerve disorder, known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou

Gehrig's disease, is a relatively rare disease that causes nerve-cell death and

muscle wasting. Studies have suggested that the risk of ALS is raised among Gulf

War veterans. So Marc Weisskopf from the Harvard School of Public Health,

Boston, and colleagues decided to see if military service in other conflicts had

a similar effect.

The researchers studied the causes of death of around 400,000 men over a

nine-year period. Some 217 veterans developed ALS compared with just 63

civilians, researchers revealed at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in

San Francisco this week.

The veterans had served in a variety of conflicts including the Second

World War, Korea and Vietnam. " This shows that the increased risk of ALS among

military personnel does not appear to be specific to service during the first

Gulf War, " says Weisskopf.

Suspect agents

Although the cause of ALS is unknown, researchers think environmental

factors, such as viral infections, lead poisoning and excessive exercise, may

contribute to the disease.

" The only factor there is a hint of evidence for is lead, " says Jasper

Daube, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who specializes

in ALS. Researchers hope to work with the military to assess the various

chemicals experienced by personnel in different deployments, and find a more

specific link.

The study fuels the controversial debate about another disorder: Gulf War

syndrome. Many believe that veterans' ill health was triggered by exposure to

certain chemicals during the 1991 conflict.

But suspected cases were few and the chemicals used were numerous, so it

has been impossible to pinpoint one causal agent. " We should not focus just on

the myriad neurotoxic agents people were exposed to during the Gulf War, " says

Weisskopf. " We should look at agents that have been common to all wars. "

The findings also raise the question of whether Gulf War syndrome is a

general phenomenon that occurs after other conflicts. Weisskopf says there is

currently no data to support this idea.

© Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2004