scholarly journals Neurological disorders in Gulf War veterans

2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1468) ◽  
pp. 605-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R Rose ◽  
Kelley Ann Brix
Keyword(s):  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Neurological Function ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans ◽  
Increased Risk

We present a review of neurological function in Gulf War veterans (GWV). Twenty-two studies were reviewed, including large hospitalization and registry studies, large population-based epidemiological studies, investigations of a single military unit, small uncontrolled studies of ill veterans and small controlled studies of veterans. In nearly all studies, neurological function was normal in most GWVs, except for a small proportion who were diagnosed with compression neuropathies (carpal tunnel syndrome or ulnar neuropathy). In the great majority of controlled studies, there were no differences in the rates of neurological abnormalities in GWVs and controls. In a national US study, the incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) seems to be significantly increased in GWVs, compared to the rate in controls. However, it is possible that military service, in general, might be associated with an increased risk of ALS, rather than Gulf War service in particular. Taken together, the conclusion is that if a neurological examination in a GWV is within normal limits, then extensive neurological testing is unlikely to diagnose occult neurological disorders.

scholarly journals Psychological health of Australian veterans of the 1991 Gulf War: an assessment using the SF-12, GHQ-12 and PCL-S

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1419-1430 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. McKENZIE ◽  
J. F. IKIN ◽  
A. C. McFARLANE ◽  
M. CREAMER ◽  
A. B. FORBES ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Self Report ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans ◽  
Group Members

Background. Elevated rates of psychological morbidity and symptomatology have been widely reported in 1991 Gulf War veterans. The present study used brief self-report instruments to compare the psychological health of Australian Gulf War veterans with that of a randomly sampled military comparison group.Method. The 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist – Specific (PCL-S) and Military Service Experience (MSE) questionnaire were administered to 1424 male Australian Gulf War veterans and 1548 male Australian Defence Force members who were operational at the time of the Gulf War conflict, but were not deployed there.Results. The Gulf War veterans exhibited poorer psychological health, as measured by the above three instruments, than the comparison group members. For Gulf War veterans, the number of stressful experiences, as measured by the MSE questionnaire, was correlated with scores on the three instruments. SF-12 mental health component summary scores and PCL-S caseness, but not GHQ-12 caseness, differed significantly between Gulf War veterans and comparison group members who had been on at least one active deployment.Conclusions. More than a decade after the 1991 Gulf War, Australian Gulf War veterans are exhibiting higher levels of current (past month) psychological ill-health, as measured using the GHQ-12 and PCL-S, as well as lower mental health status, as measured by the SF-12, than the comparison group. Although not a replacement for formal psychiatric diagnosis, instruments such as those above may aid in the assessment of veterans' psychological health.

scholarly journals War-related psychological stressors and risk of psychological disorders in Australian veterans of the 1991 Gulf War

2004 ◽  
Vol 185 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jillian F. Ikin ◽  
Malcolm R. Sim ◽  
Mark C. Creamer ◽  
Andrew B. Forbes ◽  
Dean P. McKenzie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparison Group ◽  
Psychological Disorders ◽  
Composite International Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans ◽  
Psychological Stressors ◽  
Increased Risk

BackgroundQuestions remain about the long-term health impacts of the 1991 Gulf War on its veterans.AimsTo measure psychological disorders in Australian Gulf War veterans and a military comparison group and to explore any association with exposure to Gulf War-related psychological stressors.MethodPrevalences of DSM–IV psychological disorders were measured using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Gulf War-related psychological stressors were measured using a service experience questionnaire.ResultsA total of 31% of male Gulf War veterans and 21% of the comparison group met criteria for a DSM–IVdisorder first present in the post-Gulf War period. The veterans were at greater risk of developing post-Gulf War anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, affective disorders and substance use disorders. The prevalence of such disorders remained elevated a decade after deployment. The findings can be explained partly as a ‘war-deployment effect‘. There was a strong dose–response relationship between psychological disorders and number of reported Gulf War-related psychological stressors.ConclusionsService in the 1991 Gulf War is associated with increased risk of psychological disorders and these are related to stressful experiences.

scholarly journals Brain–Immune Interactions as the Basis of Gulf War Illness: Clinical Assessment and Deployment Profile of 1990–1991 Gulf War Veterans in the Gulf War Illness Consortium (GWIC) Multisite Case-Control Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1132
Author(s):  
Lea Steele ◽  
Nancy Klimas ◽  
Maxine Krengel ◽  
Emily Quinn ◽  
Rosemary Toomey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Military Service ◽  
Neuropsychological Testing ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Gulf War Illness ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Enlisted Personnel ◽  
Gulf War Veterans ◽  
War Experiences

The Boston University-based Gulf War Illness Consortium (GWIC) is a multidisciplinary initiative developed to provide detailed understanding of brain and immune alterations that underlie Gulf War illness (GWI), the persistent multisymptom disorder associated with military service in the 1990–1991 Gulf War. The core GWIC case-control clinical study conducted in-depth brain and immune evaluation of 269 Gulf War veterans (223 GWI cases, 46 controls) at three U.S. sites that included clinical assessments, brain imaging, neuropsychological testing, and analyses of a broad range of immune and immunogenetic parameters. GWI cases were similar to controls on most demographic, military, and deployment characteristics although on average were two years younger, with a higher proportion of enlisted personnel vs. officers. Results of physical evaluation and routine clinical lab tests were largely normal, with few differences between GWI cases and healthy controls. However, veterans with GWI scored significantly worse than controls on standardized assessments of general health, pain, fatigue, and sleep quality and had higher rates of diagnosed conditions that included hypertension, respiratory and sinus conditions, gastrointestinal conditions, and current or lifetime depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Among multiple deployment experiences/exposures reported by veterans, multivariable logistic regression identified just two significant GWI risk factors: extended use of skin pesticides in theater (adjusted OR = 3.25, p = 0.005) and experiencing mild traumatic brain injury during deployment (OR = 7.39, p = 0.009). Gulf War experiences associated with intense stress or trauma (e.g., participation in ground combat) were not associated with GWI. Data and samples from the GWIC project are now stored in a repository for use by GWI researchers. Future reports will present detailed findings on brain structure and function, immune function, and association of neuroimmune measures with characteristics of GWI and Gulf War service.

scholarly journals Healthcare utilization and mortality among veterans of the Gulf War

2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1468) ◽  
pp. 553-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory C Gray ◽  
Han K Kang
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Utilization ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Future Research ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Gulf War Veterans ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Utilization Data ◽  
Post War ◽  
Health Registry

The authors conducted an extensive search for published works concerning healthcare utilization and mortality among Gulf War veterans of the Coalition forces who served during the1990–1991 Gulf War. Reports concerning the health experience of US, UK, Canadian, Saudi and Australian veterans were reviewed. This report summarizes 15 years of observations and research in four categories: Gulf War veteran healthcare registry studies, hospitalization studies, outpatient studies and mortality studies. A total of 149 728 (19.8%) of 756 373 US, UK, Canadian and Australian Gulf War veterans received health registry evaluations revealing a vast number of symptoms and clinical conditions but no suggestion that a new unique illness was associated with service during the Gulf War. Additionally, no Gulf War exposure was uniquely implicated as a cause for post-war morbidity. Numerous large, controlled studies of US Gulf War veterans' hospitalizations, often involving more than a million veterans, have been conducted. They revealed an increased post-war risk for mental health diagnoses, multi-symptom conditions and musculoskeletal disorders. Again, these data failed to demonstrate that Gulf War veterans suffered from a unique Gulf War-related illness. The sparsely available ambulatory care reports documented that respiratory and gastrointestinal complaints were quite common during deployment. Using perhaps the most reliable data, controlled mortality studies have revealed that Gulf War veterans were at increased risk of injuries, especially those due to vehicular accidents. In general, healthcare utilization data are now exhausted. These findings have now been incorporated into preventive measures in support of current military forces. With a few diagnostic exceptions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, mental disorders and cancer, it now seems time to cease examining Gulf War veteran morbidity and to direct future research efforts to preventing illness among current and future military personnel.

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