© D. W. Holmes II, US Navy
For the last twenty years, veterans of the Persian Gulf War of 1991 have been complaining of a range of ailments, including pain, fatigue, and problems with memory and concentration. And for just as long, the causes have remained uncertain and there has been a tendency by the military to
attribute the complaints to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Now a long-term study at the University of Texas in Dallas has used a new technique to measure blood flow in the brains of sufferers and has detected "marked abnormalities" in brain function that can probably be attributed to low levels of exposure to sarin nerve gas. This abnormal blood flow has
persisted or even worsened over the eleven years of the study.
"The findings mark a significant advancement in our understanding of the syndrome, which was for years written off by the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs as a form of combat stress rather than an objectively diagnosable injury,"
reports the
Dallas Observer.
"Dr. Robert Haley, chief epidemiologist at UT Southwestern, and a cadre of clinicians and researchers, have struggled with the government for some 18 years for research funding and to have the syndrome recognized as a legitimate war injury," the paper notes.
Heley's team has not yet pinpointed the nature of the brain damage, which is estimated to affect 25% of the 700,000 Gulf War veterans, or worked out an effective treatment. He is confident, however, that "the research is really going to come to a head in the next six to 12 months."
As a Gulf War vet I received a letter back in the mid 90's requesting that I go in to the local VA hospital to get checked out in reference to this 'syndrome'.
The letter stated that my unit was positioned nearby (within 100 yds. of) the 27 engr. batt. which was blowing up munitions - some of which were reported to be nerve agents. Also heard this (nerve agents) from friends inside the 27th.
They also suspected there were interactions with the anthrax vaccine, the DEET insect repellent, and the pills we were given to protect from nerve gas poisoning.
This was all known to me over 15 yrs ago so allow me to doubt that, "the research is really going to come to a head in the next six to 12 months."