The 1990-91 Gulf War deployment theater involved a range of exposures, including smoke from oil well fires, burning garbage and human waste, nerve agents, pesticides, fine particulates, and depleted uranium. Veterans who deployed to the 1990–91 Gulf War continue to experience significant long-term health effects 3 decades later, according to findings from the largest and longest-running study of 30,000 Gulf War-era service members.
A new article titled “The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Gulf War Era Cohort Study: Results From the Thirty-Year Follow-Up Assessment” reports these findings in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The analysis is based on the 4th follow-up of the Gulf War Era Cohort Study (GWECS), which began in 1995 when researchers invited 15,000 veterans who deployed to the Gulf War and 15,000 veterans who served elsewhere during the same period to participate in the study. Westat conducted the follow-up study on behalf of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The article’s coauthors include Westat’s Anne Roubal, PhD; Joseph Gasper, PhD; Wendy Van de Kerckhove, MA; and April Fales, MS.
Compared with non-deployed Gulf War-era service members, veterans of the Gulf War report higher rates of several physical and mental health conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, migraine, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“These findings highlight the enduring health effects of Gulf War service and the ongoing need for targeted care and continued research,” noted Gasper, Westat project director for the study.