Military Service Roles and ALS Among Veterans: A Matched Case–Control Study

ABSTRACT While military service is an established risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), it remains unclear whether this association is linked to combat. We conducted a matched case–control study comparing 191 ALS patients who were veterans of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with know...

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Main Authors: Asaf Honig, Roy Dayan, Amir Knaani, Hagai Levine, Marc Gotkine
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-08-01
Series:Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/acn3.70079
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author Asaf Honig
Roy Dayan
Amir Knaani
Hagai Levine
Marc Gotkine
author_facet Asaf Honig
Roy Dayan
Amir Knaani
Hagai Levine
Marc Gotkine
author_sort Asaf Honig
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT While military service is an established risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), it remains unclear whether this association is linked to combat. We conducted a matched case–control study comparing 191 ALS patients who were veterans of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with known military service type and 1910 matched controls. The ALS group had higher rates of combat service (46.0% vs. 22.7%) and parachuting (10.5% vs. 1.1%) in comparison with controls (p < 0.001 for both). In a multivariate model, combat service was associated with ALS (odds ratio 2.49, confidence interval [1.49–4.16], p < 0.01). The higher prevalence of combat roles among ALS patients expands our understanding of military service factors that contribute to ALS risk.
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issn 2328-9503
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publishDate 2025-08-01
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series Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology
spelling doaj-art-5786b69f0eca42e7a48059888ee5dac42025-08-20T03:02:44ZengWileyAnnals of Clinical and Translational Neurology2328-95032025-08-011281702170510.1002/acn3.70079Military Service Roles and ALS Among Veterans: A Matched Case–Control StudyAsaf Honig0Roy Dayan1Amir Knaani2Hagai Levine3Marc Gotkine4Department of Neurology Soroka Medical Center Beer‐Sheva IsraelDepartment of Neurology Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Medical Organization, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem IsraelGeha Mental Health Center Petach‐Tikva IsraelFaculty of Medicine, Braun School of Public Health, Hadassah Medical Organization Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem IsraelDepartment of Neurology Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Medical Organization, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem IsraelABSTRACT While military service is an established risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), it remains unclear whether this association is linked to combat. We conducted a matched case–control study comparing 191 ALS patients who were veterans of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with known military service type and 1910 matched controls. The ALS group had higher rates of combat service (46.0% vs. 22.7%) and parachuting (10.5% vs. 1.1%) in comparison with controls (p < 0.001 for both). In a multivariate model, combat service was associated with ALS (odds ratio 2.49, confidence interval [1.49–4.16], p < 0.01). The higher prevalence of combat roles among ALS patients expands our understanding of military service factors that contribute to ALS risk.https://doi.org/10.1002/acn3.70079amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)exercisemilitary servicemotor neuron disease (MND)veterans
spellingShingle Asaf Honig
Roy Dayan
Amir Knaani
Hagai Levine
Marc Gotkine
Military Service Roles and ALS Among Veterans: A Matched Case–Control Study
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
exercise
military service
motor neuron disease (MND)
veterans
title Military Service Roles and ALS Among Veterans: A Matched Case–Control Study
title_full Military Service Roles and ALS Among Veterans: A Matched Case–Control Study
title_fullStr Military Service Roles and ALS Among Veterans: A Matched Case–Control Study
title_full_unstemmed Military Service Roles and ALS Among Veterans: A Matched Case–Control Study
title_short Military Service Roles and ALS Among Veterans: A Matched Case–Control Study
title_sort military service roles and als among veterans a matched case control study
topic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
exercise
military service
motor neuron disease (MND)
veterans
url https://doi.org/10.1002/acn3.70079
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AT hagailevine militaryservicerolesandalsamongveteransamatchedcasecontrolstudy
AT marcgotkine militaryservicerolesandalsamongveteransamatchedcasecontrolstudy