Dizziness, Vertigo, and Mental Health Comorbidity in Gulf War Veterans.

BACKGROUND: Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic condition involving symptoms across multiple body systems. Previous research has implicated the vestibular system as a potential underlying factor in the symptoms experienced by veterans with GWI, due in part to exposure to potentially ototoxic chemicals and events. PURPOSE: To characterize the presence of vertigo and dizziness symptoms in a sample of veterans with GWI using validated self-report instruments, accounting for mental health comorbidities. RESEARCH DESIGN: This is a case series, follow-up, prospective interview of clinical veterans; results presented are purely descriptive. STUDY SAMPLE: Our sample of 50 veterans was a follow-up to a case series of clinical Gulf War veterans evaluated at the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Veterans participated in a 70-min phone interview where the following questionnaires were administered: Vertigo Symptom Scale (VSS), Patient Health Questionnaire (depression scale), Patient Health Questionnaire (somatization scale), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist, Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire, and GWI (Kansas) Questionnaire. We used descriptive (mean/median, standard deviation, interquartile range, and percentage) statistics to describe our sample and illuminate possible relationships between measures. RESULTS: Our primary finding is a substantial report of vertigo symptoms in our sample, according to the VSS. Ninety percent of participants scored above the VSS threshold (>12), suggesting "severe dizziness." The most commonly endorsed symptom on the VSS was "headache or pressure in the head." CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that there is significant burden of vertigo symptoms in veterans with GWI, suggesting a need for objective tests of vestibular function in this population. Furthermore, the relationship between symptoms of vertigo and dizziness, vestibular function, and PTSD warrants further exploration using objective measures.

Autonomic Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans Evaluated at the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center.

INTRODUCTION: We characterized the presence of autonomic symptoms in a sample of Veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI) using the Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale (COMPASS-31). In addition, we examined the report of autonomic symptoms across comorbid mental health conditions in this sample. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Case-series follow-up of Gulf War veterans evaluated by the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) between 2011 and 2016 (n = 153). Phone-based interview consisted of questionnaires designed to investigate autonomic symptoms, physical symptoms, mental health conditions, and GWI. Sixty-One Veterans agreed to participate in this follow-up arm of the study. We restricted our analysis to only those Veterans meeting CDC and/or Kansas criteria for GWI, leaving us with a sample of 56 Veterans. RESULTS: Veterans in our sample were, male (n = 55, 98%), 49 (±6.8) years old and used 8 (±6.6) medications. The mean COMPASS-31 score for our sample was 45.6 (±18.3). There were no differences in reports of autonomic symptoms between participants who screened positive or negative for depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, but COMPASS-31 scores were higher among those who screened positive for anxiety (49.6 (±16.0)) compared with those who screened negative (29.3 (±18.9)) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The elevated COMPASS-31 scores suggest that there may be autonomic dysfunction present in our sample of Veterans with GWI, consistent with other published reports. Additionally, we believe that the high scores on the anxiety measure may reflect assessment of physiological symptoms that are not specific to anxiety, and may reflect GWI symptoms. Objective physiological tests of the autonomic nervous system are warranted to better characterize autonomic function and the clinical relevance of COMPASS-31 in this population.