Objectives: This study aims to assess (1) the difference in the prevalence of headaches, pain, and other associated symptoms between Gulf War I (1990–1991) and Post-Gulf War I (1992–2015) veterans who served as active military personnel in the Persian Gulf and (2) how the durations of deployment may affect the prevalence of those symptoms. Methods: With institutional human subject committee approval, veterans who were accepted to the Gulf War Registry at the VA San Diego Healthcare System between July 2013 and June 2015 ( N = 367) were included in this retrospective chart review study and grouped according to the Gulf War period they served under or how long they were deployed to the Persian Gulf. Chi-square was used for categorical data analyses and analysis of variance was conducted for continuous outcomes. All analyses were two-tailed, where applicable, with α = 0.05 and Bonferroni for pairwise group comparisons. Results: Veterans who served during Post-Gulf War I or both Gulf War I and Post-Gulf War I exhibited more pain and neurological symptoms than Gulf War I veterans ( p = 0.005, p = 0.003). In addition, veterans who served ⩾12 months reported more overall pain symptoms and analgesic use than those who served less time ( p < 0.001, p = 0.024). Conclusion: The findings suggest that the length of deployment and Persian Gulf deployment period may play a role in acquiring headaches, pain, and other associated symptoms with increased analgesic consumption.
The prevalence of headaches, pain, and other associated symptoms in different Persian Gulf deployment periods and deployment durations