Hi all - 2013 I had my brain AVM removed and I’m a veteran in the UK. I’m interested in a ITN report in January where they gave a link to AVM and TBI or blast injury in the military, Im just wondering if any of you are also veterans with AVM’s ?
this was the link
Why these soldiers believe their own weapons damaged the blood vessels inside their heads | ITV News
I’m not a veteran but my grandfather was a veteran of the Great War and suffered with haemorrhages from about the age of 29 or 30. Having gained a DAVF myself at 50 and learned about AVMs, I’ve wondered for a while if my grandfather’s condition might have been an AVM.
He had frequent nosebleeds and at some point clearly those bleeds went intracranially rather than just out through his nose. My mum ascribes them to injury from the war but so many men came back from the trenches with weird and rare medical conditions that from a medical point of view (in those days especially) I don’t think they ever investigated it or perhaps could investigate or do anything about it.
He would have been 30 in 1923, so that suggests he didn’t have bleeds directly after the war but within 5 years of it ending. He died in a mental hospital in 1955 age 61½.
I don’t see how there would be any connection between my grandfather and me unless there is some genetic propensity for these things to develop. So I can’t say that his issue was an AVM but as I say since my own diagnosis I’ve wondered if he had the same. Maybe he did.
Really interesting to see the article: thank you for sharing!
Best wishes,
Richard
Hi Yes
I had a few years service in the Royal Military Police and had an AVM removed 8 years ago. Didn’t use heavy weapons but did use various light arms on a regular basis, did regular live firing due to carrying live ammunition whilst on duty in Germany - interestingly my AVM was on the left frontal lobe and being left handed, I shouldered machine guns to the left also held hand guns in my left hand. I remember having tinnitus in my left ear after firing and still get it now.
Kind Regards
Andy
Hi Richwag,
I am not a veteran but my Dad is, and he speaks nothing about the war. Like you, I had my AVM in 2013, as well as an acoustic neuroma in the ear opposite to the brain AVM.
No told links to anything, but we have wondered if genes played an undiscovered role.
Best,
Saari
Hi Andy
Im now in touch with the reporter who’s looking into it further, hes ex army to. He shared me some of his findings from studies and probable link to AVM and im interested to see where it goes next.
The more people he has on board the more gravity he will have to push it further.
Hes keen to chat if your interested.
My AVM was front right lobe.
Rich
On another note I find it bizzar such a ‘rare’ thing AVM but to meet people who served with the same condition. I had a crioniotomy to 13 years ago but going strong now 
Some of what goes on with brain AVMs is that they are discovered incidentally, so it is probable that a higher percentage of people go through life with an AVM but unless or until someone does a scan, after a road accident or some other concern, it lies there undiscovered.
So it is difficult to know about links to causes versus just being a commoner underlying feature than we think. I’m not saying it’s a common thing – I’m sure it is rare – but it is quite probably commoner than we think because nobody has a scan as a regular thing to check for these things.
It’ll be interesting to see if this plays out to have a bit of a link.
Best wishes,
Richard
In the us they have conducted animal trials using low level blast and the animals ‘rats’ developed AVM’s.
Ive some studies the reporter shared with ne and going through ut slowly as hes given me so much to look at.
This is a small bit of what ive been sent.
In addition to that, here is the study where they “created” AVM in rats by exposing them to blast: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40478-023-01553-6 and here is a large-scale study in the US showing an association between TBI and a higher risk of haemorrghagic stroke : https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/STROKEAHA.123.042360
My AVM was not diagnosed until 6 years or so after my discharged. I had two AVM related events while in basic training:
Hi
Wow - Being so recent i’m sure the guy who’s looking into this for us from ITN would be keen to speak to you. I can put you in touch even if its just for him to tell you his findings so far - hes ex forces to
This happened in Aug of 1980 or ‘81
89-1998 for me and found 2005 and removed 2012 or could have been 2013. Hope yoir well now.
Rich
