Gulf War and Health Volume 8: Update of Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War (2010) / Chapter Skim
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1 INTRODUCTION
1 INTRODUCTION
Pages 11-22
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From page 11... ...
Numerous researchers have studied the variety of health outcomes presented by Gulf War veterans and attempted to identify possible exposures that may have caused or contributed to those outcomes. BACKGROUND In 1998, in response to the growing concerns of Gulf War veterans, Congress passed two laws: PL 105-277, the Persian Gulf War Veterans Act, and PL 105-368, the Veterans Programs Enhancement Act.
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From page 12... ...
This current report is an update of Volume 4, covering the literature published since 2006 on the health effects seen in veterans deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1990-1991. THE GULF WAR SETTING1 In Gulf War and Health, Volume 4, that committee's charge was not to review the scientific evidence on the possible health effects of various agents to which Gulf War veterans were potentially exposed, but rather to look at the prevalence of the various health effects seen in Gulf War deployed veterans and to determine if that prevalence was greater than that seen in veterans who served in the military during the Gulf War but were not deployed.
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From page 13... ...
The Gulf War reflected many changes from previous wars, particularly in the demographic composition of military personnel and the uncertainty of conditions for many reservists. Of the nearly 700,000 US troops who fought in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, almost 7% were women and about 17% (106,000)
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From page 14... ...
Pesticides, including dog flea collars, were widely used by troops in the Persian Gulf to combat the region's ubiquitous insect and rodent populations, and although guidelines for use were strict, there were many reports of misuse. The pesticides used included methyl carbamates, organophosphates, pyrethroids, and chlorinated hydrocarbons.
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From page 15... ...
Thus, the current committee has limited its review to epidemiologic studies of health outcomes published since the last literature search conducted for Volume 4 and those studies included in Volume 4. The studies must compare the health status of Gulf War veterans compared with nondeployed veterans or veterans deployed elsewhere such as Bosnia.
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From page 16... ...
At those sessions, the committee heard from the VA and from Gulf War veterans about health outcomes that had been identified in Gulf War veterans during the past 20 years. During the second public session, the committee also heard presentations about health outcomes that were of particular concern to female veterans, a presentation from the chair of the IOM committee that had prepared Gulf War and Health, Volume 4, and from representatives of the VA Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, who discussed that committee's findings and recommendations.
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From page 17... ...
Multiple Exposures and Chemical Interactions Although Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm were relatively brief, military personnel were potentially exposed to numerous harmful agents simultaneously. These include agents administered as preventive measures (such as PB, vaccines, pesticides, and insecticides)
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From page 18... ...
Because of the limitations in the exposure data, it is difficult to determine the likelihood of increased risk for disease or other adverse health effects in Gulf War veterans that are due specifically to biologic and chemical agents. Although many studies have assessed military personnel exposures to various preventive agents including PB and pesticides during the Gulf War, these studies have been based on individuals' recall of the measures they received or took, frequently under stress situations, and have rarely been verified by in situ measurements or records.
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From page 19... ...
BOX 1-1 Brief Summary of Findings and Recommendations Outcomes Based Primarily on Symptoms or Self-Reports • No unique syndrome, unique illness, or unique symptom complex in deployed Gulf War veterans was found. Veterans of the Gulf War report higher rates of nearly all symptoms or sets of symptoms than their nondeployed counterparts; 29% of veterans meet a case definition of "multisymptom illness," as compared with 16% of nondeployed veterans.
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From page 20... ...
1998. Consolidation and Combined Analysis of the Databases of the Department of Veterans Affairs Persian Gulf Health Registry and the Department of Defense Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program.
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1997. A comprehensive clinical evaluation of 20,000 Persian Gulf War veterans.
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From page 22... ...
1996. Emotional Aftermath of the Persian Gulf War: Veterans, Families, Communities, and Nations.
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