Gulf War Syndrome

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Image from Gulf War.

Gulf War Syndrome refers to a variety of illnesses experienced by some veterans of the Second Persian Gulf War (Desert Storm). To date, this syndrome has not been acknowledged by the United States Government, being generally explained as psychosomatic disorders (physically manifested mental illnesses).

Several possible causes of Gulf War Syndrome are related to failures of the US Government during the Gulf War.

Incorrect dosing of Pridostigmine Bromide nerve-agent inhibitors
Defective or insufficient MOPP equipment (chemical suits and gas masks)
Denial of possible WMD attacks by the Iraqis during that war
Inappropriate disposal of captured Iraqi WMD

This could explain why the US has yet to acknowledge Gulf War Syndrome, while the UK has.

1 Symptoms
2 Causes
- 2.1 Possible Chemical Weapon Exposure
3 Also On tinWiki
4 ATS Discussion Threads
5 External links

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Symptoms

Defining symptoms has been a major challenge in the study of Gulf War Syndrome because of the wide range of reported symptoms. A study of veterans of the 24th Navy Mobile Construction Battalion by Dr. Robert Haley found a broad range of symptoms:

Fatigue
Respiratory illness
Muscular pain and spasms
Rashes
Memory loss
Dizziness
Peripheral numbness
Sleep disturbances

The Department of Defense study found a group of undiagnosed disorders in less than 1% of Gulf War Veterans that included headache and memory loss, fatigue, sleep disorders, and intestinal and respiratory ailments.

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Causes

Gulf War Syndrome is suggested by Dr. Haley to be the result of neurological damage caused by organophosphates. Organophosphates are found in many nerve agents, ranging from DEET pesticide to Sarin gas. High concentrations of DEET were used for pest control during Desert Storm, many soldiers also used their own insect repellents, and there were possible releases of chemical and biological weapons during the gulf war, perhaps including Sarin.

The NAPPS kit, or Nerve Agent Pyridostigmine Pretreatment System, functions by binding enzymes which control neuro-transmitters. Basically it does a milder form of what the nerve agents themselves would do, saving you by displacing more harmful agents. Dr. Haley's work at University of Texas South Western Medical Center suggests that PB may have acted in synergy with the organophosphates it is designed to protect soldiers from.

Based on anecdotal evidence, some veterans have suggested that Depleted Uranium used in US munitions may have been to blame.

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Possible Chemical Weapon Exposure

The 24th Naval Construction Battalion, stationed at Al-Jubayl, Saudi Arabia at the outset of the Gulf War, allegedly experienced a SCUD missile attack on January 19th. Two explosions were seen/heard and soldiers later noted that their Patriot missile battery had expended one of its missiles.

After the explosions, chemical detectors went off and the unit donned chemical suits. Men who did not achieve good seals with their masks reported numbness on their faces, burning in their lungs and sinuses, and such profuse sinus drainage that their gas mask cartridges became clogged. Some men reported an acrid smell and metallic taste in their mouths, and exposed skin began to burn and itch.

The next morning a fine yellow powder coated everything in the camp and a nearby herd of livestock had died. Exposed soldiers began to experience blisters, diarrhea, muscle and joint pain, fevers, and muscle spasms.

Description of Gulf War Syndrome

It began in Indiana in early 1992, when soldiers in two reserve units that had fought in the Persian Gulf war began to suffer a puzzling array of symptoms. Some became unusually fatigued, and others said that their joints ached. They experienced headaches, rashes and hair loss, and their memories occasionally failed them. In some cases, the symptoms were severe enough to require hospitalization.

The sequence of events leading to the identification of Gulf War Syndrome has occurred many times in recent years. First, there are complaints of severe but undiagnosable symptoms. Then, the sufferers hear about others experiencing the same symptoms and begin to trade information. Then there is the naming of a possible new disease, and finally there is a plea for an investigation of the symptom clusters.

Experts say such problems begin with real suffering that is often dismissed as psychosomatic - or, to use a more contemporary counterpart, "stress-related." Among complaints of this sort, the ones closest to acquiring status as recognized diseases are "sick building syndrome" and "multiple chemical sensitivity."

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