Longitudinal Health Study of US 1991 Gulf War Veterans: Changes in Health Status at 10-Year Follow-up

The role of pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills in explaining the long-term subjective health status of a sample of over 100 female Reserve Component Gulf War veterans was examined through regression analysis. Results fell just short of significance ( p < .06) for the prediction of subjective health approximately six years after the war and were clearly not significant for the prediction of subjective health at previous times. Results parallel Golomb's 1999 RAND report, which found suggestive but not conclusive evidence for the possible adverse effects of Gulf War veterans' consumption of pyridostigmine bromide pills. Our data suggest that use of more than 10 pills may have been especially risky with respect to long-term subjective health.

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Dizziness, Vertigo, and Mental Health Comorbidity in Gulf War Veterans

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.17122 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (09) ◽

pp. 764-771

Author(s):

Apollonia Fox ◽

Kristal Riska ◽

Chin-Lin Tseng ◽

Kelly McCarron ◽

Serena Satcher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Case Series ◽

Vestibular Function ◽

Gulf War ◽

Health Questionnaire ◽

War Veterans ◽

Gulf War Veterans ◽

Patient Health

AbstractGulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic condition involving symptoms across multiple body systems. Previous research has implicated the vestibular system as a potential underlying factor in the symptoms experienced by veterans with GWI, due in part to exposure to potentially ototoxic chemicals and events.To characterize the presence of vertigo and dizziness symptoms in a sample of veterans with GWI using validated self-report instruments, accounting for mental health comorbidities.This is a case series, follow-up, prospective interview of clinical veterans; results presented are purely descriptive.Our sample of 50 veterans was a follow-up to a case series of clinical Gulf War veterans evaluated at the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center.Veterans participated in a 70-min phone interview where the following questionnaires were administered: Vertigo Symptom Scale (VSS), Patient Health Questionnaire (depression scale), Patient Health Questionnaire (somatization scale), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist, Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire, and GWI (Kansas) Questionnaire. We used descriptive (mean/median, standard deviation, interquartile range, and percentage) statistics to describe our sample and illuminate possible relationships between measures.Our primary finding is a substantial report of vertigo symptoms in our sample, according to the VSS. Ninety percent of participants scored above the VSS threshold (>12), suggesting “severe dizziness.” The most commonly endorsed symptom on the VSS was “headache or pressure in the head.”We conclude that there is significant burden of vertigo symptoms in veterans with GWI, suggesting a need for objective tests of vestibular function in this population. Furthermore, the relationship between symptoms of vertigo and dizziness, vestibular function, and PTSD warrants further exploration using objective measures.

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Cohort Profile: The Australian Gulf War Veterans’ Health Study cohort

International Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/ije/dyw025 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. dyw025 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jillian F. Ikin ◽

Helen L. Kelsall ◽

Dean P. McKenzie ◽

Stella M. Gwini ◽

Andrew B. Forbes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gulf War ◽

Health Study ◽

Study Cohort ◽

Veterans Health ◽

War Veterans ◽

Gulf War Veterans

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Health Effects of Depleted Uranium on Exposed Gulf War Veterans: A 10-Year Follow-Up

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A ◽

10.1080/15287390490273541 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 67 (4) ◽

pp. 277-296 ◽

Cited By ~ 92

Author(s):

Melissa A. McDiarmid ◽

Susan Engelhardt ◽

Marc Oliver ◽

Patricia Gucer ◽

P. David Wilson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Effects ◽

Gulf War ◽

Depleted Uranium ◽

War Veterans ◽

Gulf War Veterans

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Risk factors for continued illness among Gulf War veterans: a cohort study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291703001016 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 747-754 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

M. HOTOPF ◽

A. DAVID ◽

L. HULL ◽

V. NIKALAOU ◽

C. UNWIN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Physical Functioning ◽

Gulf War ◽

Gulf War Syndrome ◽

War Veterans ◽

Gulf War Veterans ◽

Initial Symptoms

Background. There are no prospective cohort studies of prognostic factors on the outcome of Gulf War veterans. We aimed to test the hypotheses that Gulf War veterans who were older; had more severe symptoms; had more exposures during deployment; had increased psychological distress and believed they had ‘Gulf War syndrome’ would experience greater fatigue and poorer physical functioning at follow-up.Method. Gulf War veterans who responded to an earlier retrospective cohort study were followed with a postal survey. More symptomatic individuals were oversampled. Outcome was measured on the Chalder fatigue questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire and the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 36.Results. Of those surveyed, 73·8% responded. We found some evidence for four of the five hypotheses. More self-reported exposures at baseline were not associated with poorer outcome, but older people, those with more severe symptoms at baseline, those with psychological distress and who believed they were suffering from ‘Gulf War syndrome’ had more fatigue at follow-up. Officer status was associated with a better outcome. A similar lack of association was found for exposures and physical functioning and GHQ-12 score. ‘Gulf War syndrome’ attribution was associated with a worse outcome for GHQ-12 and physical functioning even after controlling for severity of symptoms at baseline.Conclusions. This study suggests that while multiple vaccination and military exposures are important risk factors for the onset of symptoms in Gulf War veterans, these are not important risk factors for persistence of such symptoms. Instead the severity of the initial symptoms; psychological distress and attributions may be more important determinants of outcome.

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