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

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.

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

2011 ◽  
Vol 174 (7) ◽  
pp. 761-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Li ◽  
C. M. Mahan ◽  
H. K. Kang ◽  
S. A. Eisen ◽  
C. C. Engel
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Health Study ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans

scholarly journals PMH54: MENTAL HEALTH COMORBIDITY PREVALENCE, PATTERNS, AND IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG GULF WAR VETERANS

2003 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-363
Author(s):  
VL Forman ◽  
CP Carney ◽  
P Peloso ◽  
RF Woolson ◽  
DW Black ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans

scholarly journals Psychological health of Australian veterans of the 1991 Gulf War: an assessment using the SF-12, GHQ-12 and PCL-S

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1419-1430 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. McKENZIE ◽  
J. F. IKIN ◽  
A. C. McFARLANE ◽  
M. CREAMER ◽  
A. B. FORBES ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Self Report ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans ◽  
Group Members

Background. Elevated rates of psychological morbidity and symptomatology have been widely reported in 1991 Gulf War veterans. The present study used brief self-report instruments to compare the psychological health of Australian Gulf War veterans with that of a randomly sampled military comparison group.Method. The 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist – Specific (PCL-S) and Military Service Experience (MSE) questionnaire were administered to 1424 male Australian Gulf War veterans and 1548 male Australian Defence Force members who were operational at the time of the Gulf War conflict, but were not deployed there.Results. The Gulf War veterans exhibited poorer psychological health, as measured by the above three instruments, than the comparison group members. For Gulf War veterans, the number of stressful experiences, as measured by the MSE questionnaire, was correlated with scores on the three instruments. SF-12 mental health component summary scores and PCL-S caseness, but not GHQ-12 caseness, differed significantly between Gulf War veterans and comparison group members who had been on at least one active deployment.Conclusions. More than a decade after the 1991 Gulf War, Australian Gulf War veterans are exhibiting higher levels of current (past month) psychological ill-health, as measured using the GHQ-12 and PCL-S, as well as lower mental health status, as measured by the SF-12, than the comparison group. Although not a replacement for formal psychiatric diagnosis, instruments such as those above may aid in the assessment of veterans' psychological health.

Physical Health, Mental Health, and Utilization of Complementary and Integrative Services Among Gulf War Veterans

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. A124-A124
Author(s):  
Stephanie Brooks Holliday ◽  
Amanda Hull ◽  
Christine Eickhoff ◽  
Patrick Sullivan ◽  
Matthew Reinhard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans

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

2004 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 277-296 ◽  
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

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

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 747-754 ◽  
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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document