Group eyes possible link between Multiple Sclerosis, Gulf War

[squiffy2]

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is keeping an eye on military veterans, especially those who served in the first Persian Gulf War and have since been diagnosed with the debilitating neurological disease.

"There appears to be an increased risk of MS in combat vets," said Shawn O'Neail, the society's vice president for federal government relations. "Are Gulf War veterans at an increased risk of developing MS? We have a long way to go to say that comfortably."

But they want to find out.

The strongest evidence comes from a 2005 European Neurology study showing that from 1993 to 2000 - the years following the first Gulf War - the rate of MS among Kuwaitis more than doubled. "In a geographic area that was previously associated with low prevalence, local environmental factors may be responsible for these dramatic changes," the study said................

For the full article please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Environmental Factors And MS (http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=1850)

[Matthew's Mom]

I didn't read the link yet but in my research on lindane the gulf war comes up alot. They feel alot of the neuro illnesses may be attributed to the vaccines given along with pesticides they are exposed to and other agents.

My stepdad's daughter was in Iraq for many months, and she recieved some heavy duty vaccines before leaving that left her ill for weeks.

Pam

[Aiko]

My dad's wife's brother (yeah, I come from one of those families) died from complications of MS a few years ago -- he was exposed to Agent Orange while fighting in Vietnam and was dx'd with MS a few years after coming home. He always blamed it on toxins he was exposed to while serving in the military. Sad stuff.

Aiko

[lady_express_44]

A good friend of mine returned from service in 2004 (age 36) due to MS. He has since been dx with leukemia as well.

Vets are often exposed to uranium. I think that might be the catalyst for both diseases.

Cherie

[Abby2006]

You don't have to have been in the Gulf to have GWI

Abby

[renee]

Amazing.
Whatever will the authorities realize next

[Mariel]

When I was just newly on Harvard Neurology Webforum, there was a poor guy on there who had come back from the Gulf and had MS. He was especially sad about losing his wife. As I recall, he was religious, and losing his wife seemed like an undermining of a covenant relationship to him. He wondered how God could allow that when he tried to be a good citizen and husband. He wanted to show that his MS came from exposures.

His case, and others mentioned here, are not a new type of story. How come the MS society is just getting around to thinking maybe there was a relationship?

These would be the type of MS which come from chemicals, not perhaps the same as auto-immune, although both could be there. I too probably have the chemically induced MS, I think. Not from the Gulf, but from toxins which excited Porphyria, which in turn poisoned nerves, and as in some cases which go long untreated, caused brain scars. And then I have a hereditary pattern of MS, showing a predisposition. I was not treated because my doctors were as slow to diagnose as the MS society is to recognize a relationship here between GW and MS.

Lots of vets also got a Porph dx, often a dx of Porphyria Cutanea Tarda, which can come on without a genetic predisposition. Although I've paid little attention to this aspect of porph lately, I recall that vets came down with a high rate of the genetic porphyrias too, probably from latent genes being activated by chemicals.

If you put off supporting these vets' claims long enough, most of their lives will be gone, along with most of the need for care. The Bottom Line again.

Where do I direct my contempt?