The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are partnering to study a chronic disease affecting approximately 200,000 military veterans, the NIH announced recently.
The study is intended "to gain a better understanding of the chronic symptoms of Gulf War Illness," the NIH states in its April 17 news release. The chronic illness affects approximately one-third of the 700,000 veterans who served in the Persian Gulf operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, according to the release.
“This is an important collaboration that we hope will lead to many answers to those suffering from Gulf War Illness,” Dr. Walter Koroshetz, M.D., director of the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said in the news release. “Taking advantage of the resources available only at NIH, this comprehensive study will take a new look at this illness and uncover biological mechanisms that may pave the way to treatments.”
Chronic symptoms of Gulf War Illness include fatigue, memory and cognitive difficulties, headache, problems with gastrointestinal and respiratory function, joint and muscle pain and poor sleep, the release said.
Gulf War veterans of the 1990-91 era will be screened by VA researchers through the Miami VA Medical Center and the California and Washington, D.C., sites of VA’s War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, the release states. NIH researchers will work to learn how the illnesses present in each participant and focus on the autonomic nervous and immune systems, among other metrics, according to the release.
“Eligible veterans will be invited to the NIH Clinical Center for up to two weeks for comprehensive testing," the release states. "Among other tests, the research protocol includes administering a peak exercise challenge to trigger symptom flares. The procedure has been used to explore the mechanisms of other chronic illnesses, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.”
The study is expected to last five years, the release reports; initial enrollment in the study began last July and included Gulf War veterans already enrolled in other studies. The new study is expanded to include the "larger Gulf War veteran community," according to the release.
“Effective treatments for Gulf War Illness have remained elusive, forcing healthcare providers to mostly focus on easing patient symptoms,” Rachel Ramoni, Veterans Affairs’ chief research and development officer, said in the release. “VA and NIH’s collaboration will bring together experts who will meticulously investigate the underlying causes of symptoms.”
