http://www.immed.org/illness/gulfwar_illness_research.html
Gulf War Syndrome or Gulf War Illness has been used to describe a
collection of chronic signs and symptoms reported by U.S., British, Canadian,
Czech, Danish, Saudi, Egyptian, Australian and other Coalition Armed Forces that
were deployed to Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Over 100,000 American veterans
of Desert Storm /Desert Shield (approximately 15% of deployed U. S. Armed
Forces) returned from the Persian Gulf and slowly (6-24 months or more) and
presented with a variety of complex signs and symptoms characterized by
disabling fatigue, intermittent fevers, night sweats, arthralgia, myalgia,
impairments in short-term memory, headaches, skin rashes, intermittent diarrhea,
abdominal bloating, chronic bronchitis, photophobia, confusion, transient visual
scotomata, irritability and depression and other signs and symptoms that until
recently have defied appropriate diagnoses (see publications). These symptoms
are not localized to any one organ, and the signs and symptoms and routine
laboratory test results are not consistent with a single, specific disease.
Although there is not yet a case definition for Gulf War Illness, the
chronic signs and symptoms loosely fit the clinical criteria for Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome and/or Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Some patients have additionally what
appears to be neurotoxicity and brainstem dysfunction that can result in
autonomic, cranial and peripheral nerve demyelination, possibly due to complex
chemical exposures. Often these patients have been diagnosed with Multiple
Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome (MCS) or Organophosphate-Induced Delayed
Neurotoxicity (OPIDN). Chemically exposed patients can be treated by removal of
offending chemicals from the patient's environment, depletion of chemicals from
the patient's system and treatment of the neurotoxic signs and symptoms caused
by chemical exposure(s). A rather large subset (~40%) of GWI patients have
transmittible infections, including mycoplasmal and possibly other chronic
bacterial infections, that have resulted in the appearance of GWI in immediate
family members and civilians in the Gulf region. It is likely that veterans of
the Gulf War who are ill with GWI owe their illnesses to a variety of exposures:
(a) chemical mixtures, primarily organophosphates, antinerve agents and possibly
nerve agents, (b) radiological sources, primarily depleted uranium and possibly
fallout from destroyed nuclear reactors, and (c) biological sources, primarily
bacteria, viruses and toxins, before, during and after the conflict. Such
exposures can result in poorly defined chronic illnesses, but these illnesses
can be treated if appropriate diagnoses are forthcoming.
Studies on Gulf War Illnesses: Chronic
Infections
Identification of Mycoplasmal Infections in Gulf War Illness
Patients:
Scientists at The Institute for Molecular
Medicine have found that slightly under one-half of the very sick Gulf War
Illness patients in a pilot study with the signs and symptoms of Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome or Fibromyalgia have chronic invasive infections involving certain
uncommon mycoplasmas, such as Mycoplasma fermentans (incognitus strain). This
has now been confirmed in a large Department of Defense - Department of
Veterans' Affairs clinical trial. Staff at The Institute for Molecular Medicine
have recommended that these infections can be successfully treated with certain
antibiotics, allowing the recovery of patients who have been long-term disabled.
Similarly, in ongoing preliminary studies on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and
Fibomyalgia patients, we have found that a subset of patients have mycoplasmal
infections that can be successfully treated with antibiotics, allowing patients
to recover from their illnesses.
Identification of Other Infections in Gulf War Illness
Patients:
The Institute for Molecular Medicine has been
engaged in examining the blood of Gulf War Illness, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,
and Fibromyalgia patients for chronic infections that could explain their
clinical conditions. So far, in preliminary research we have found that some
patients have microorganism infections, such as those caused by Brucella or
other bacteria. This line of investigation is now being actively pursued at the
Institute.
PUBLICATIONS
1 Gulf War
Illnesses-Causes and Treatments.
Armed Forces Med. Develop. 2001; 2:
41-44. html doc
2 Gulf War Illnesses: Role of Chemical, Radiological
and Biological Exposures
War and Health, H. Tapamainen, ed., Helsinki , Zed
Press, 2002, pp. 431-446 html doc
3 Chronic Fatigue Illness and
Operation Desert Storm
J. Occup. Environ. Med. 1996; 38: 14-16, 1995 html
doc
4 Progress on Persian Gulf War Illnesses-- Reality and
Hypotheses
Int. J. Occup. Med. Tox., 1995; 4: 365-370 html doc
5
Diagnosis and Treatment of Mycoplasmal Infections in Persian Gulf War
Illness-CFIDS Patients
Int. J. Occup. Med. Tox. 1996; 5: 69-78 html doc
6 Mycoplasmal Infections and Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Illness (Gulf War
Illness) Associated with Deployment to Operation Desert Storm
International
Journal of Medicine 1988; 1: 80-92 html doc
7 Chronic Fatigue
Illnesses Associated with Service in Operation Desert Storm Were Biological
Weapons Used Against our Forces in the Gulf War?
Townsend Letter For Doctors
1996; 156: 42-48 html doc
8 Hospitalization for Unexplained Illnesses Among
U. S. Veterans of Persian Gulf War
Emerg. Infect. Dis. 1998: 4: 707-709
html doc
9 Further Information About Persian Gulf War Health
Questions--Reply
International Journal of Occupational Medicine, Immunology
and Toxicology 1996 ; 5 : 83-86 html doc
10 Doxycycline Treatment and
Desert Storm
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) 1995 ; 273:
618-619 html doc
11 The Eight Myths of Operation Desert Storm and Gulf
War Syndrome
Medicine, Conflict & Survival 1997; 13: 140-146 html doc
12 Gulf War Illnesses: Complex Medical and Scientific and Political
Paradox
Medicine, Conflict & Survival 1998; 14: 74-83 html doc
13 Anthrax Vaccine: Controversy Over Safety And Efficacy
Antimicrobics
and Infectious Disease Newsletter (Elsevier Science) 2000 ; 18(1) : 1 - 6 html
doc
14 The Anthrax Vaccine Controversy.
Questions About its Efficacy,
Safety and Strategy.
The Medical Sentinel 2000; 5(2): 97 - 101
html
doc
15 Gulf War Illnesses: Chemical, Biological and Radiological Exposures
Resulting in Chronic Fatiguing Illnesses can be Identified and Treated by Garth
Nicolson et al. Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 2001 html doc
16 High
Prevalence of Mycoplasmal Infections in Symptomatic (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)
Family Members of Mycoplasma-Positive Gulf War Illness Patients by G.L Nicolson
et al. J. Chronic FAtigue Syndr. 2002:vol. 10. html doc
17 Anthrax Vaccine:
Historical Review and Current Controversies by Nass & Nicolson, Journal of
Nutritional & Environmental Medicine 2002 html doc
REPORTS
1 Anthrax Vaccine
Linked to Gulf War Syndrome html doc
2 Report from Kuwait: Gulf War
Illnesses Strike Civilians and Veterans of the 1991 Gulf War
Health Freedom
News (1998) html doc
3 Summary Of Persian Gulf War Illness Pilot Study
On Mycoplasmal Infections In Veterans And Family Members html doc
4
Brief Summary Of Possible Sources Of Chronic Infections Associated With Gulf War
Illnesses
The Institute for Molecular Medicine html doc
5
Department of Veterans Affairs: News Release html doc
6 Recent
Publications of Prof. Garth L. Nicolson on Gulf War Illness, CFS [Myalgic
Encepthalomyelitis or CFIDS], FMS, Rheumatoid Arthritis (From a Total of 510
Medical/Scientific Publications and 14 Books html doc
7 Politics Interfere
with Diagnosis and Treatment of Gulf War Illnesses
Criminal Politics,
January 1996; 1: 13-18 html doc
8 The Enemy--From Within
Criminal
Politics, October 1996 html doc
9 Gulf War Illness: Finally an
Answer
Popular Science Magazine, April 1999 html doc
10 Death of
the Anthrax Vaccine Program: Did this and other DoD vaccines cause Gulf War
Illnesses? By Garth Nicolson and Mike Williams Soldier of Fortune Magazine
2001 html doc
11 Recommendations for Diagnostic Testing of Gulf War
Illnesses by Garth Nicolson html doc
12 Update on Gulf War Illnesses:
Relationship to Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E. and the
Possible Role of Vaccines By Prof. Garth Nicolson, The Fibromyalgia Survivor,
2001 html doc
TESTIMONIES
1 Written Testimony of
Dr. Garth Nicolson and Dr. Nancy L. Nicolson : Mycoplasmal Infections in Gulf
War Illnesses
President's Advisory Panel on Gulf War Syndrome, Washington
D.C., August 14-16, 1995
html doc
2 Written Testimony Of Dr. Garth
L. Nicolson and Dr. Nancy L. Nicolson, Committee On Government Reform And
Oversight, Subcommittee on Human Resource and Intergovernmental Relations,
United States House Of Representatives, April 2, 1996 html doc
3
Written Testimony Of Dr. Garth L. Nicolson and Dr. Nancy L. Nicolson, Committee
On Government Reform And Oversight, Subcommittee on Human Resource and
Intergovernmental Relations, United States House Of Representatives, June 26,
1997 html doc
4 Written Testimony Of Dr. Garth L. Nicolson Committee
Of Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Benefits United States House Of
Representatives, July 16, 1998 html doc
5 Written Testimony Of Dr.
Garth L. Nicolson Special Oversight Board For Department Of Defense
Investigations Of Gulf War Chemical And Bological Incidents U. S. Senate Hart
Office Building SH-216, November 19, 1998 html doc
6 Written Testimony
of Dr. Garth L. Nicolson, House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on
National Security, Veterans' Affairs and International Relations, United States
House of Representatives, January 24, 2002. html doc
7 Written Testimony of
Dr. Garth L. Nicolson, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Subcommittee on
Health, United States House of Representatives, January 24, 2002. html doc
DISCLAIMER: I am
not a
medical doctor. I am a fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome survivor. The
purpose of this website is not to diagnose or cure any disease or malady, but is
presented as food for thought. This information cannot take the place of
professional medical advice. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should
come under the direction of a physician. No guarantees are made regarding any of
the information in this
website.
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