Veterans who served in the Air Force, Navy, or Coast Guard had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, rates 15% to 29% higher than Army veterans, according to a new study.
The study, published in the journal Neurology last month, analyzed records for nearly 10 million veterans receiving Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare between 2000 and 2024, including nearly 14,500 with an ALS diagnosis.
Officers were found to face a 64% elevated risk of developing ALS, compared with their enlisted counterparts. The researchers did not determine whether particular military jobs or exposures were responsible for the difference.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a degenerative disease that damages the...
Read the full article here
