Report Disputes Gulf War Syndrome

In 1998, in response to the concerns of ill Gulf War veterans, Congress directed the Department of Veterans Affairs to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review and evaluate what had become known as the Gulf War Syndrome. The NAS’s Institute of Medicine (IOM) made the study, and on Sept. 12 reported that, “although veterans of the first Gulf War report significantly more symptoms of illness than soldiers of the same period who were not deployed, studies have found no cluster of symptoms that constitute a syndrome unique to Gulf War veterans.” The committee did find evidence of a possible elevated rate of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among Gulf War veterans, but found no increase in deaths and hospitalizations. The committee recommended “further surveillance” of rates of testicular cancer, brain cancer, and certain birth defects in connection with Gulf War veterans.