Health Highlight: Wed. 19, Apr.
Today’s Highlight(s): A look at the NIH and VA’s partnership study on Gulf War Illness.
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“VA, NIH launch study of Gulf War Illness: New research may help identify biomarkers and potential treatments.”
🌐 Full Article • 📚 Glasp Highlights
THE BRIEF
The Gulf War Illness, which affects approximately one-third of the 700,000 individuals who served in the Persian Gulf during Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations, is being studied by the VA and NIH to gain a better understanding of the condition.
“Researchers from NIH will seek to identify how the illness presents itself – in ways that can be measured or observed – in each participant.” 1
What is Gulf War Illness (GWI)?
Gulf War Illness or GWI is a term used to describe a recurring group of symptoms that have been reported by veterans of the two Gulf Wars; the Persian Gulf War (1990 to 1991) and the Iraq War (2003 to 2011).
These chronic symptoms can include tiredness, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, breathing problems, skin problems, and memory loss.
The cause of this multi-system condition is not clearly understood, but differences in health outcomes for veterans deployed overseas during those wars have been documented.
“According to a 2016 study by VA researchers, based on data collected 20 years after the war, Gulf War-era Veterans who were deployed to the Gulf continued to report poorer health than Veterans who served during the same period but were not deployed.” 2 3
More about the NIH-VA study
This study will investigate the immune and autonomic nervous systems, as well as the body’s energy-production pathways.
Eligible veterans will receive an invitation to participate in the NIH Clinical Center for thorough two-week testing.
The veteran study is set to continue for a duration of five years.
Those who are interested can visit the study website for further information: VA-NIH Project IN-DEPTH https://research.ninds.nih.gov/patients/va-nih-project-depth
RESOURCES FOR VETERANS
Gulf War Registry Health Exam for Veterans
VA’s Gulf War Registry Health Exam alerts Veterans to possible long-term health problems that may be related to environmental exposures during their military service.
Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry
VA established this registry in 2014 to put data to work for Veterans and help us better understand the potential health effects of exposure to airborne hazards during military service.
Gulf War Era Cohort and Biorepository
The VA Gulf War Era Cohort and Biorepository was established to learn more about health conditions affecting Veterans who served in the U.S. military between 1990 and 1991.
Search for clinical trials that you may be eligible for.
🏷️ #Veterans #SupportVets #VA #NIH #GulfWarIllness
Notes
“VA, NIH launch study of Gulf War Illness” https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/va-nih-launch-study-gulf-war-illness
“Office of Research & Development: VA research on Gulf War Veterans” https://www.research.va.gov/topics/gulfwar.cfm
“Physical and Mental Health Status of Gulf War and Gulf Era Veterans: Results From a Large Population-Based Epidemiological Study” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26716848/