scholarly journals Stress and stressors of the early phases of the Persian Gulf War

2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1468) ◽  
pp. 585-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert K Gifford ◽  
Robert J Ursano ◽  
John A Stuart ◽  
Charles C Engel
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Persian Gulf ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Persian Gulf War ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans ◽  
Current Health ◽  
The Persian Gulf ◽  
Early Phases

Soldiers who deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield were exposed to a wide variety of stressors. These stressors from the pre-combat phase of the deployment undoubtedly affect the current health of Gulf War veterans, but the exact mechanisms and linkages are not known. This article examines the nature of those stressors and possible effects on later health of veterans.

scholarly journals Psychiatric disorder in veterans of the Persian Gulf War of 1991

2003 ◽  
Vol 182 (5) ◽  
pp. 391-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola J. Stimpson ◽  
Hollie V. Thomas ◽  
Alison L. Weightman ◽  
Frank Dunstan ◽  
Glyn Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Persian Gulf ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Common Mental Disorder ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Persian Gulf War ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans ◽  
The Persian Gulf

BackgroundVeterans of the Persian Gulf War of 1991 have reported symptoms attributed to their military service.AimsTo review all studies comparing the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Gulf War veterans and in a comparison group of service personnel not deployed to the Gulf War.MethodStudies of military personnel deployed to the Gulf published between 1990 and 2001 were identified from electronic databases. Reference lists and websites were searched and key researchers were contacted for information. Atotal of 2296 abstracts and 409 complete articles were reviewed and data were extracted independently by two members of the research team.ResultsThe prevalence of psychiatric disorder in 20 studies of Gulf War veterans was compared with the prevalence in the comparison group. Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and common mental disorder were higher in the Gulf War veterans. Heterogeneity between studies was significant, but all reported this increased prevalence.ConclusionsVeterans of the Persian Gulf War reported an increased prevalence of PTSD and common mental disorder compared with other active service personnel not deployed to the Gulf. These findings are attributable to the increase in psychologically traumatic events in wartime.

scholarly journals Gulf War veterans exhibit broadband sleep EEG power reductions in regions overlying the frontal lobe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Moffet ◽  
Stephanie Jones ◽  
Theodore Snyder ◽  
Brady Riedner ◽  
Timothy Juergens
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Persian Gulf ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Persian Gulf War ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans ◽  
Male Veterans ◽  
Eeg Power

Aims: Nearly a third of U.S. veterans who deployed in support of the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War are affected by Gulf War illness (GWI). Here we aimed to characterize whether subjective sleep complaints in GWI veterans are associated with objective sleep EEG disturbances relative to healthy veterans and controls; and whether Gulf War veterans show alterations in neural activity during sleep that differentiate them from healthy subjects. Main methods: We used high-density EEG (HDEEG) to assess regional patterns of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep between three groups: Gulf War male veterans with fatigue and GWI, Gulf War male veterans without fatigue or GWI, and control males. The groups were matched relative to age, sex and obstructive sleep apnea. Topographic comparisons of nocturnal NREM and REM sleep were made between groups for all frequency bands. Key findings: Topographic analysis revealed a broadband reduction in EEG power in a circumscribed region overlying the frontal lobe in both groups of Gulf War veterans, regardless of GWI and fatigue. This frontal reduction in neural activity was present, to some extent, across all frequency bands in NREM and REM sleep. Significance: Given that our findings were observed in all Gulf War veterans, it appears unlikely that frontal sleep HDEEG power reductions prove wholly responsible for fatigue symptoms. These results provide avenues for research and underpin the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion when providing clinical care to formerly deployed veterans of the Persian Gulf War.

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