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Is the mystery solved? The mysterious syndrome that has been affecting people for 30 years

In a tragic timing of the massive explosion that took place in Lebanon and destroyed half of the city, a study is published on the damage done to American troops in the Gulf War due to exposure to toxic substances. In a new study trying to understand the "Gulf War Syndrome" researchers examined the effect of these substances on the brain

• Gulf War
• tiredness
• Pains
• oil
• Kuwait
• Iraq
• Saddam Hussein

Walla! health

Chances are you haven’t heard of it, but medically the Gulf War syndrome continues to be a mystery. Nearly a third of the 700,000 U.S. and Allied soldiers who participated in the war against Iraq between 1990 and 1991 to date experience unusual symptoms including fatigue, muscle aches, "brain fog," headaches, cognitive problems, insomnia, and indigestion.

While the underlying cause For a disease still unclear, a new study has helped bolster the old belief that Gulf War Syndrome (GWI) is the same as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) .The new findings were recently reported in the journal Brain Communications.

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The two diseases share several symptoms: problems with cognitive function, "brain fog", memory problems, pain and fatigue following exercise. However, recent brain scans have revealed that people with different syndromes show much different nerve activity when performing memory tests after a workout.

An earlier study published in 2017 by the same research group also revealed that the two diseases are separate conditions. For this new study, scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center have dug deep into the changes between the various syndromes. They found that ex-soldiers with GWI showed decreased activity in the central gray area (Periaqueductal gray) - an area for pain processing, and in the part of the brain responsible for fine motor control, cognition, pain and emotion, while people with CFS actually increased activity in this area and areas responsible for alertness and attention. heart.

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The Persian Gulf War began in August 1990 after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded a Kuwaiti neighbor known for its oil deposits, with the aim of repaying the huge debts that amounted to the Iran-Iraq war. The move eventually led to the United States, Britain, and other countries launching a military conflict against Iraq. One of the images that defines the war is Kuwait's oil field fires, in which the Iraqi army set fire to hundreds of oil wells as part of the scorched earth policy in 1991.

This incident and exposure to chemicals are considered to be the main suspects in the development of the Gulf War syndrome. In 2003, the European Organization for Molecular Biology stated that the situation was "related to exposure to depleted uranium, pesticides, vaccines, particulate matter and gases from burning oil wells, biological and chemical weapons, and the anti-neurotransmitter pyridostigmine bromide (PB)".

However, investigators have not yet reached agreement on the underlying cause of the condition. Some have pointed to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in certain aspects of the disease, although Gulf War veterans show completely different symptoms to those who served in other wars before and after. Unfortunately, this confusion and lack of solid scientific knowledge causes people with Gulf War Syndrome to be misdiagnosed and their disease left misunderstood.

"Now that the two syndromes - CFS and GWI - have been shown to affect different areas of the brain, these areas can be examined more closely using nerve imaging and other techniques to advance our understanding of the similarities and differences between the two diseases," said Dr. James. "Once this new information is widely adopted, diagnoses and treatments for both disorders need to be improved."