Gulf War Syndrome

The term Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness refers to a number of symptoms reported by American veterans who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, including chronic fatigue, headaches, dizziness, memory problems, gastrointestinal problems, and skin problems. Several studies have shown that selfreported health conditions are higher among veterans deployed to the Persian Gulf than to veterans serving elsewhere, but establishing higher rates of clinically defined diseases has proven elusive. The wide range of symptoms reported, the fact that many of the symptoms could have multiple causes, the lack of objective verification for some of the symptoms, and the wide range of potential causes of the symptoms have made research into Gulf War syndrome difficult.

Military personnel serving in the Gulf War were potentially ...