Military service 'link' to motor neurone disease

Motor neurone disease causes progressive paralysis and premature death

People who have served in the military are more likely to develop motor neurone disease (MND) than those who have not, a new study has suggested.

Glasgow University researchers looked at 57,000 Scottish veterans who were born between 1945 and 1985.

Compared to non-veterans, they had a 50% increased risk of developing MND, which causes progressive paralysis and premature death

The findings back up similar studies in America in 2003 and 2005.

Lead researcher Dr Beverly Bergman said: "This is an important study which has confirmed an increased risk in military personnel.

'Greater risk'

"We also showed that there was a higher risk in everyone who had experienced an injury, but the risk was greater in people who had served in the armed forces."

The Glasgow University team looked at the findings of a 2003 study in the United States which linked MND to military service in the Gulf.

A larger study in the US in 2005 showed that people who had any military service were at increased risk, and that the risk was not just confined to Gulf War veterans.

For their study, the Glasgow University team examined data from the Scottish Veterans Health Study.

This covered veterans who had a wide range of experience and lengths of service in the armed forces over a 50-year period.

Dr Bergman added: "Because the cases occurred over such a long period of time, we are confident that there is no specific link to Gulf War service, although higher rates of military smoking may explain the increased risk.

"This is a very rare disease and veterans should not worry unduly."

The Glasgow University study is published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.