Gulf War Illnesses Are Becoming Better Recognized

About 697,000 Americans served in and around the Persian Gulf during the First Gulf War, August 1990 to June 1991. In the two decades since, many of the veterans of that conflict have suffered from illnesses and medical conditions which they believe are related to their service. These cases make up the body of what is called Gulf War Syndrome.

According to the Veterans Administration (VA), they were exposed to the natural hazards of the region including a variety of diseases that are uncommon in the United States. They were exposed to the pollution from hundreds of burning oil wells, the pesticides used on clothing and around living quarters and to the aftereffects of the use of munitions.

In the last twenty years, the links between service in the Gulf War and a wide variety of illnesses and conditions have been studied. In some cases, it was difficult to find a causal relationship. In other studies, a link was more apparent. The work continues but the VA has recently recognized a number of diseases and conditions as presumptively related to Gulf War service.

Medically Unexplained Clusters of Symptoms

The VA defines a category called "Medically Unexplained Clusters of Symptoms". This condition is presumed to be related to Gulf War service if it exists for six months or more, appeared during active service in Southwest Asia or by December 31, 2011 and is at least ten percent disabling.

Diagnoses that are included in this category are: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Fibromyalgia and Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). At the discretion of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, signs or symptoms of an undiagnosed illness may be considered related, as well.

Infectious Diseases

Nine infectious diseases are presumed to be related to Gulf War service, and are also presumed related to service in Iraq and Afghanistan after September 11, 2001. These are uncommon illnesses in the United States. They are: Brucellosis, Campylobacter jejuni, Coxiella burnetii (Q fever), Malaria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Nontyphoid Salmonella, Shigella, Visceral leishmaniasis and West Nile virus.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is not considered related to the Gulf War but the VA presumes that ALS in patients with 90 days or more of active military service is service connected.

The VA reports that over 300,000 veterans of the Gulf War have filed service related disability claims and 85% of those claims have been approved for one or more medical conditions.

There are several good sources for authoritative information about Gulf War illnesses and treatment options. The Office of the Secretary of Defense has a website titled GulfLINK, which provides information and links for those who served in the Gulf. The Veterans Administration has a website with lots of information and links titled Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a web page listing a variety of studies of Gulf War vets and potential service related health issues.