This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

A Search for Causes, Treatment, and Cooperation

Persian Gulf Veterans Coordinating Board; MG Ronald R. Blanck, MC, USA; COL Joel Hiatt, MSC, USA; CAPT Kenneth C. Hyams, MC, USN; Han Kang, DrPH; Susan Mather, MD, MPH; Frances Murphy, MD, MPH; Robert Roswell, MD; Stephen B. Thacker, MD, MSc

Arch Intern Med. 1995;155(3):262-268.

Abstract
Between August 1990 and March 1991, the United States deployed 697 000 troops to the Persian Gulf to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. Since the Gulf War, most veterans seeking medical care at Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense medical facilities have had diagnosable conditions, but the symptoms of several thousand veterans have not been readily explained. The most commonly reported, unexplained complaints have been chronic fatigue, rash, headache, arthralgias/myalgias, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, and irritability. These symptoms have not been localized to any one organ system, and there has been no consistent physical sign or laboratory abnormality that indicates a single specific disease. Because of the unexplained illnesses being experienced by some Gulf War troops, a comprehensive clinical and research effort has been organized by the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Health and Human Services to provide care for veterans and to evaluate their medical problems. To determine the causes and most effective treatments of illnesses among Gulf War veterans, a thorough understanding of all potential health risks associated with service in the Persian Gulf is necessary. These risks are reviewed in this article and include possible reactions to prophylactic drugs and vaccines, infectious diseases, and exposures to chemicals, radiation, and smoke from oil fires.

(Arch Intern Med. 1995;155:262-268)

Author Affiliations
From the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC (Dr Blanck); US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Mass (Dr Hiatt); US Naval Medical Research Institute (Dr Hyams); and Department of Veterans Affairs (Drs Kang, Mather, and Murphy), Washington, DC; Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham, Ala (Dr Roswell); and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga (Dr Thacker).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Familial aggregation of fainting in a case-control study of neurally mediated hypotension patients who present with unexplained chronic fatigue
Lucas et al.
Europace 2006;8:846-851.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Managing future Gulf War Syndromes: international lessons and new models of care
Engel et al.
Phil Trans R Soc B 2006;361:707-720.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Chronic Multisymptom Illness Complex in Gulf War I Veterans 10 Years Later
Blanchard et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2006;163:66-75.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Assessing the potential health impact of the 1991 Gulf War on Saudi Arabian National Guard Soldiers
Gackstetter et al.
Int J Epidemiol 2005;34:801-808.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Commentary: Adding to our comprehension of Gulf War health questions
Hyams
Int J Epidemiol 2005;34:808-809.
FULL TEXT  

Late Prevalence of Respiratory Symptoms and Pulmonary Function Abnormalities in Gulf War I Veterans
Karlinsky et al.
Arch Intern Med 2004;164:2488-2491.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Clinical and laboratory assessment of distal peripheral nerves in Gulf War veterans and spouses
Davis et al.
Neurology 2004;63:1070-1077.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Health-related Quality of Life in Gulf War Era Military Personnel
Voelker et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2002;155:899-907.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Sensorimotor Deficit and Cholinergic Changes following Coexposure with Pyridostigmine Bromide and Sarin in Rats
Abou-Donia et al.
Toxicol Sci 2002;66:148-158.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Clinician Attributions for Symptoms and Treatment of Gulf War-Related Health Concerns
Richardson et al.
Arch Intern Med 2001;161:1289-1294.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Locomotor and Sensorimotor Performance Deficit in Rats following Exposure to Pyridostigmine Bromide, DEET, and Permethrin, Alone and in Combination
Abou-Donia et al.
Toxicol Sci 2001;60:305-314.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Proposed explanations for excess injury among veterans of the Persian Gulf War and a call for greater attention from policymakers and researchers
Bell et al.
Inj. Prev. 2001;7:4-9.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Occupational risk factors for ill health in Gulf veterans of the United Kingdom
Ismail et al.
J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2000;54:834-838.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Acute Sarin Exposure Causes Differential Regulation of Choline Acetyltransferase, Acetylcholinesterase, and Acetylcholine Receptors in the Central Nervous System of the Rat
Khan et al.
Toxicol Sci 2000;57:112-120.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Cardiovascular Stress Responses and Their Relation to Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans With Fatiguing Illness
Peckerman et al.
Psychosom. Med. 2000;62:509-516.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome: Symptom Prevalence and Risk Factors in a Military Population
Black et al.
Arch Intern Med 2000;160:1169-1176.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Comparison of MMPI-2 Profiles of Gulf War Veterans with Epileptic and Nonepileptic Seizure Patients
Binder et al.
Assessment 2000;7:73-78.
ABSTRACT  

Relationship of Psychiatric Status to Gulf War Veterans' Health Problems
Wolfe et al.
Psychosom. Med. 1999;61:532-540.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Gulf war syndrome
Murphy
BMJ 1999;318:274-275.
FULL TEXT  

Chronic Multisymptom Illness Affecting Air Force Veterans of the Gulf War
Fukuda et al.
JAMA 1998;280:981-988.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Rheumatic Findings in Gulf War Veterans
Grady et al.
Arch Intern Med 1998;158:367-371.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Self-Reported Physical Symptoms in Persian Gulf War Veterans
Baker et al.
Arch Intern Med 1997;157:2076-2078.
ABSTRACT  

Is There a Gulf War Syndrome? Searching for Syndromes by Factor Analysis of Symptoms
Haley et al.
JAMA 1997;277:215-222.
ABSTRACT  

Self-reported Illness and Health Status Among Gulf War Veterans: A Population-Based Study
The Iowa Persian Gulf Study Group
JAMA 1997;277:238-245.
ABSTRACT  

Mortality among U.S. Veterans of the Persian Gulf War
Kang and Bullman
NEJM 1996;335:1498-1504.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Postwar Hospitalization Experience of U.S. Veterans of the Persian Gulf War
Gray et al.
NEJM 1996;335:1505-1513.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Disease and Suspicion after the Persian Gulf War
Campion
NEJM 1996;335:1525-1527.
FULL TEXT  

Cutaneous Findings in Gulf War Veterans
Krivda et al.
Arch Dermatol 1996;132:846-847.
ABSTRACT  

Desert Storm Syndrome and Immunization
Reiber and Davey
Arch Intern Med 1996;156:217-217.
ABSTRACT  

Comparative Mortality Among US Military Personnel in the Persian Gulf Region and Worldwide During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm
Writer et al.
JAMA 1996;275:118-121.
ABSTRACT