Gulf War Veterans' Illness Update

By Paula Brown, BCDL Secretary

This past week I was able to attend a seminar at NIEHS, where I work, which comprised of an update on the findings/recommendations from the President's appointed panel looking into the health concerns of Gulf War Veterans. The talk was given by the Chair of the panel, Dr. Joyce Lashof. I thought our membership would be interested in having some info about this from the horse's mouth, so to speak, and decided to write it up for publication.

For some background, the first troops were deployed in August 1990 and the last troops were recalled in June 1991. On January 20,1990 the first oil well was set ablaze. President Clinton appointed a comprehensive overview board in May 1995 to coordinate what was being done as far as research into the illnesses reported, what are the risk factors, and what kind/quality of medical treatment was being administered among other issues. The board does have 2 veterans, 4 MDs, a biochemist, an epidemiologist, and a civil rights lawyer on it. They gather info through public meetings, literature reviews, and site visits to VA hospitals and other clinics. The DOD and VA have registered a combined 81,000 service people and civilians who were in the Gulf at that time to start looking at the demographics of the illnesses reported.

The most common symptoms include joint pain, fatigue, head aches, and memory loss. These symptoms mimic those of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but are not as severe. One study has been completed comparing troops from an Iowa base deployed vs. those not deployed during that 11 month period. There is a higher percentage of illness in the deployed group in the areas of depression, cognitive dysfunction, and other diseases. The bottom line is the panel does believe there are people showing signs of illness after coming home from the Gulf. They also believe the majority of the problems could be due the enormous stress evident in any war action. However, Ms. Lashof did make it clear that more research is required and will be funded.

Please understand this is just a brief overview of the seminar. I would be happy to talk to anyone who wants a little more detail. There is, of course, a website where you can get more info and a phone number to talk to a live person: http://www.gwvi.gov (202) 761-0066