RESUMEN
Few epidemiological studies have been conducted that have incorporated clinical evaluations of Gulf War veterans with unexplained health symptoms and healthy controls. We conducted a mail survey of 2022 Gulf War veterans residing in the northwest United States and clinical examinations on a subset of 443 responders who seemed to have unexplained health symptoms or were healthy. Few clinical differences were found between cases and controls. The most frequent unexplained symptoms were cognitive/psychological, but significant overlap existed with musculoskeletal and fatigue symptoms. Over half of the veterans with unexplained musculoskeletal pain met the criteria for fibromyalgia, and a significant portion of the veterans with unexplained fatigue met the criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome. Similarities were found in the clinical interpretation of unexplained illness in this population and statistical factor analysis performed by this study group and others.
Asunto(s)
Exposición Profesional/estadística & datos numéricos , Síndrome del Golfo Pérsico/epidemiología , Veteranos/estadística & datos numéricos , Adulto , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Síndrome de Fatiga Crónica/etiología , Fibromialgia/etiología , Encuestas Epidemiológicas , Humanos , Masculino , Medio Oriente , Exposición Profesional/efectos adversos , Síndrome del Golfo Pérsico/complicaciones , Síndrome del Golfo Pérsico/etiología , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Estados Unidos/epidemiología , GuerraRESUMEN
Research in the area of Persian Gulf War Unexplained Illnesses (PGWUI) is heavily dependent on self-reports of exposures. The Portland Environmental Hazards Research Center (PEHRC) conducted a population-based case-control study utilizing techniques to measure the magnitude of potential error in self-reports of exposure. While it is impossible to verify most exposures in the Persian Gulf War (PGW), results of our study reveal significant overreporting of exposures that can be verified based on the time period served in the Persian Gulf. Test-retest reliability estimates indicate inconsistency in frequency and rate of self-reported exposures during the PGW. Unexplained illness in PGW veterans has received much political and scientific attention. Self-reported exposures in surveys returned preceding and following media reports on particular exposure such as nerve gas or pesticides are presented. These results are useful in the interpretation of findings related to the PGWUI and in the design of future investigations.