Gulf War Illness

Gulf War Illness (GWI), also known as Gulf War Syndrome (GWS), is a term used for unexplained illnesses occurring in veterans of the 1991 Gulf War in Southwest Asia. According to the Institute of Medicine in 2013, about one-third of Gulf War veterans suffer from chronic multisymptom illness (CMI). Science News summary of June 29, 2016 states: "Veterans of the Gulf War are more than twice as likely to have medically unexplained symptoms known as "multisymptom illness" (MSI), compared to Iraq/Afghanistan War veterans, according to an updated research."

Symptoms

 * Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
 * Fibromyalgia
 * Irritable bowel syndrome
 * Muscle pain and Joint pain
 * Menstrual disorders
 * Neurological and Psychological problems
 * Sleep dysfunction
 * Skin rashes
 * Insomnia
 * Dizziness
 * Respiratory disorders
 * Memory problems

Cause of illness
The US Department of Veterans Affairs has a list on Gulf War Veterans’ Medically Unexplained Illnesses.

The National Veterans Foundation lists several possibilities as causation which include depleted uranium, sarin gas, smoke from burning oil wells, vaccinations, combat stress and psychological factors. The Environmental Illness Resource also list decontamination solutions, pesticides and more.

Vaccinations
Vaccinations have been proposed as an etiological factor in Gulf War Illness, especially the mass vaccinations given prior to military deployment.

Vaccination in the presence of elevated cortisol levels can drive cytokine expression toward TH2 dominance.

Learn more

 * 2016, Testing nine potential treatments for Gulf War Illness pain and fatigue