Rare Lung Disease Found in Veterans

Some U.S. soldiers have returned from war with a rare lung disease, new research has found. Doctors who did the study reported on 80 soldiers who had breathing problems. The cause was unclear. The soldiers had served in Iraq or Afghanistan. While there, they had been exposed to toxins in the air. They had breathing problems when they exercised. But standard tests showed normal lung function. Doctors did lung biopsies on 49 of the soldiers. All of them had abnormal lung tissue. Doctors diagnosed 38 of them with constrictive bronchiolitis. This condition causes very narrow airways in the lungs. In all, 28 of those with the condition had been exposed to a sulfur-mine fire in Iraq. But other things, such as dust storms, may have played a role, doctors said. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it July 21.