AHN Staff
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - According to the findings of the Boston University School of Public Health, the Gulf War Syndrome is a real ailment experienced by one in four of 697,000 soldiers or 175,000 war veterans deployed in the 1991 Gulf war.
The ailment was caused by the troops' exposure to toxic chemicals, pesticides and drugs administered to the U.S. veterans as protection against nerve gas. Unfortunately, no effective treatment has been found.
The study was commissioned by the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses presented Monday to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake.
The 450-page said, "The extensive body of scientific research now available consistently indicates that Gulf War illness is real, that it is the result of neurotoxic exposures during the Gulf War deployment, and that few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time."
The Gulf War ailment is different from stress-related syndromes experienced by soldiers in other wars since the illness is not the result of combat or other causes of stress. The report recommended a renewed federal research commitment to improve the health of Gulf War veterans and prevent similar problems in future deployments.
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