Military Connection Deserves Further Study, New Report Says

One high-quality study, with adequate allowance made for possible confounding factors, and three studies with some methodologic limitations that make them less valuable, all support a relationship between having served in the military and later developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), says a report released Nov. 10, 2006. A fifth study, also with limitations, failed to find such an association.

The report is from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, which describes its role as profiding “independent, objective, evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the private sector, and the public.” It was requested by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Institute said it concludes that “there is limited and suggestive evidence of an association between military service and later development of ALS.” It recommends that the Veterans Affairs Department identify all possible ALS risk factors relevant to military service; conduct systematic reviews of the literature on these factors; and conduct further studies to uncover risk factors relevant to military service.