Risk of developing ALS varies by service, study finds
By Patricia Kime
Aug 4, 2026, 03:03 PM
Veterans of the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard may be at higher risk for developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) compared with veterans from other branches, according to research published in the journal Neurology.
In a review of 9.9 million veterans in the VA medical system from 2000 to 2024, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs and elsewhere found that 14,419 patients had received an ALS diagnosis.
In the group with ALS, 46% were Army veterans – nearly the same percentage of soldiers in the entire patient cohort.
Using the rate of ALS diagnoses among Army veterans as the baseline and adjusting for sex, race, and ethnicity, researchers found that Air Force veterans had a 29% higher rate, former Coast Guard members had a 26% higher rate and Navy veterans had a 15% higher rate. Marines had the lowest rate, at 22% below that of Army veterans.
https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2026/08/04/risk-of-developing-als-varies-by-service-study-finds/
