ALS more common in war veterans.

• Position: Lou Gehrig's Disease

An unusually high number of veterans of the 1991 Gulf War are becoming ill and dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which typically does not strike until decades later in life, according to Robed Haley, chief of epidemiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. His study shows that veterans of the first Gulf War under the age of 45 have developed ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, as much as three times more frequently than those of comparable ages in the general population. "This disease occurred in a very abnormal age group--people in their 20s and 30s instead of 60s and 70s," Haley declares. "It raises the question whether the condition might have been caused-or triggered prematurely--by unusual environmental exposures in the war."

ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness in the arms and legs and difficulty speaking, swallowing, and breathing, and eventually loss of all muscle function. It affects about 30,000 Americans, and is most commonly associated with baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig, who retired in 1939 after being diagnosed with the illness. Although Gehrig died of ALS two years later at age 37, the disorder occurs almost entirely in patients between the ages of 50 and 70, rarely appearing before age 45.

Haley identified 17 Gulf War veterans--all under 45--who were diagnosed with ALS by neurologists between 1991-98. None of them have a family history of ALS or other neurodegenerative diseases, and all of the cases have progressed to advanced stages. Eleven have died.

In order to calculate the number of expected ALS cases among the veterans, Haley used U.S. vital statistics data from 1979-98. He projected that, under normal circumstances, less than one case of ALS per year would be expected to occur...