Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and nearly always fatal disease that affects a person’s nervous system. It is sometimes referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the famous baseball player who died from it.  ALS affects 20,000-30,000 men and women in the United States at any given time.

Several recent epidemiologic studies have reported an association between development of ALS and prior service in the US military. Because of the findings of those studies, the Department of Veterans Affairs asked the Institute of Medicine to conduct an independent assessment of the potential relationship between military service and ALS. 

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Veterans: Review of the Scientific Literature reports that there is limited and suggestive evidence of an association between military service and later development of ALS.  The committee recommended that more studies on the relationship between military service and ALS be conducted to provide additional evidence of an association.  In addition, research is needed to explore what might be causing ALS among veterans — whether it could be chemicals, involvement in traumatic events, intensive physical activity, or other substances or activities that might be encountered during military service.