Increased postwar symptoms and psychological morbidity among US Navy Gulf War veterans

To investigate reports on war-related morbidity, 527 active-duty Gulf War v eterans and 970 nondeployed veterans from 14 Seabee commands were studied i n 1994 with a questionnaire, sera collection, handgrip strength, and pulmon ary function testing. The questionnaire assessed postwar symptoms, war expo sures, and screened for chronic fatigue syndrome, post-traumatic stress dis order, and psychological symptoms suggesting neurosis (Hopkins Symptom Chec klist). Sera were tested with four nonspecific reactant assays: C-reactive protein, transferrin, ferritin, and haptoglobin. Gulf War veterans reported a higher prevalence for 35 of 41 symptoms, scored higher on psychological symptom scales, were more likely to screen for post-traumatic stress disord er, had lower handgrip strength, and had higher serum ferritin assay result s. Numerous comparisons of these morbidity outcomes with 30 self-reported e xposures demonstrated many associations, but no unique exposure or group of exposures were implicated. Morbidity data are consistent with other postwa r observations, but the etiology for morbidity findings remains uncertain.