Epidemiologic Reviews 24:218-227 (2002)
© 2002 by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Prevalence of Symptoms and Symptom-based Conditions among Gulf War Veterans: Current Status of Research Findings
1 Office of the Director, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. 2 Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. 3 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, and Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. 4 Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 5 Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
Received for publication January 24, 2002; accepted for publication September 19, 2002.
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BACKGROUND |
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Shortly after the end of the Gulf War in March 1991, media reports began to emerge that veterans were experiencing a variety of medically unexplained symptoms, including fatigue, headache, aches and pains, and cognitive disturbances. In January 1992, the press reported an "outbreak" of unexplained symptoms among members of the 123rd Army Reserve Unit in Indiana. Soon, other veterans reported similar symptoms, and public concern grew regarding a "mystery illness" or "Gulf War syndrome." Subsequent investigation of the reserve unit found no evidence for an outbreak of a unique disease (1). Although, well-defined diseases have been identified among some Gulf War veterans (e.g., 12 cases of viscerotropic leishmaniasis) (2), a substantial proportion of Gulf War veterans’ health complaints involves nonspecific symptoms, which are not readily explained medically.
To address Gulf War veterans’ health concerns, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense established clinical
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RESEARCH INVESTIGATIONS OF SYMPTOMATOLOGY AMONG GULF WAR VETERANS AND CONTROLS |
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RELATION BETWEEN REPORTED EXPOSURES AND HEALTH OUTCOMES |
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SYMPTOM-BASED CONDITIONS |
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CASE DEFINITION |
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RESEARCH LIMITATIONS |
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CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS |
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