Study rejects gulf war syndrome - `No unique pattern' of symptoms found
Study rejects gulf war syndrome - `No unique pattern' of symptoms found
By Andrew Bridges
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune and The Associated Press
Published September 13, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The unexplained symptoms that afflict thousands of Persian Gulf war veterans do not constitute a single illness, a federally funded study concludes.
Even though U.S. and foreign veterans of the 1991 war report more symptoms of illness than do soldiers who did not serve in the Persian Gulf, there is no such thing as gulf war syndrome, according to the Veterans Affairs-sponsored report released Tuesday.
Nearly 30 percent of all those who served in the brief war have reported problems.
"There's no unique pattern of symptoms. Every pattern identified in gulf war veterans also seems to exist in other veterans, though it is important to note the symptom rate is higher, and it is a serious issue," said Dr. Lynn Goldman of Johns Hopkins University, who headed the Institute of Medicine committee that prepared the report.
The report did find evidence of an elevated risk of the rare nerve disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, among gulf war veterans. Those veterans also face an increased risk of anxiety disorders, depression and substance abuse, it said.
The VA contracted with the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, to review scientific studies and probe the issue at the direction of Congress. Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman Phil Budahn said the VA would not comment until it had a chance to study the report.
Tuesday's report is the latest in a series that the VA will rely on to determine whether gulf war veterans are eligible for special disability benefits if they are found to suffer from illnesses that can be linked to their service.
Veterans can now claim those benefits only by making an undiagnosed illness claim, said Steve Robinson, a gulf war Army veteran and government relations director for Veterans for America.
"They keep saying it over and over, every year. We know . . . that there is no single thing that made veterans sick. We know this thing is likely a combination of various exposures," Robinson said in pushing for new studies he hopes will find what ails tens of thousands of his fellow vets.
Soldiers who served in the Persian Gulf after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 have reported symptoms that include fatigue, memory loss, muscle and joint pain, rashes and difficulty sleeping.
For years, the government denied the mysterious illnesses were linked to the war. It now acknowledges that at least some were due to wartime service.
By Andrew Bridges
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune and The Associated Press
Published September 13, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The unexplained symptoms that afflict thousands of Persian Gulf war veterans do not constitute a single illness, a federally funded study concludes.
Even though U.S. and foreign veterans of the 1991 war report more symptoms of illness than do soldiers who did not serve in the Persian Gulf, there is no such thing as gulf war syndrome, according to the Veterans Affairs-sponsored report released Tuesday.
Nearly 30 percent of all those who served in the brief war have reported problems.
"There's no unique pattern of symptoms. Every pattern identified in gulf war veterans also seems to exist in other veterans, though it is important to note the symptom rate is higher, and it is a serious issue," said Dr. Lynn Goldman of Johns Hopkins University, who headed the Institute of Medicine committee that prepared the report.
The report did find evidence of an elevated risk of the rare nerve disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, among gulf war veterans. Those veterans also face an increased risk of anxiety disorders, depression and substance abuse, it said.
The VA contracted with the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, to review scientific studies and probe the issue at the direction of Congress. Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman Phil Budahn said the VA would not comment until it had a chance to study the report.
Tuesday's report is the latest in a series that the VA will rely on to determine whether gulf war veterans are eligible for special disability benefits if they are found to suffer from illnesses that can be linked to their service.
Veterans can now claim those benefits only by making an undiagnosed illness claim, said Steve Robinson, a gulf war Army veteran and government relations director for Veterans for America.
"They keep saying it over and over, every year. We know . . . that there is no single thing that made veterans sick. We know this thing is likely a combination of various exposures," Robinson said in pushing for new studies he hopes will find what ails tens of thousands of his fellow vets.
Soldiers who served in the Persian Gulf after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 have reported symptoms that include fatigue, memory loss, muscle and joint pain, rashes and difficulty sleeping.
For years, the government denied the mysterious illnesses were linked to the war. It now acknowledges that at least some were due to wartime service.
posted by Carlos T Mock @ 8:46 PM
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