New Findings on Gulf War Illness

USA Today- Kelly Kennedy Researchers have discovered two areas of brain atrophy in Gulf War veterans who responded differently to a heart-rate test, leading scientists to believe that even those with the same Gulf War Illness symptoms may need different kinds of treatments. “It was shocking to us,” said Rakib Rayhan, lead author of the study and a researcher at Georgetown University Medical Center. “We were just floored.” Each subgroup had distinct areas of damage to different parts of the brain. The study will be released today in PLOS ONE journal. Gulf War Illness affects about 30% of the 700,000 people who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Symptoms include fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, cognitive impairment and pain. After exercise, the ill veterans don’t get the endorphin rush that appears in healthy people. Instead, they can be physically “knocked out for days,” Rayhan said. Click here for full story.