"Gulf war syndrome" may be related to circadian dysrhythmia.
An Institute of Medicine (IOM) review found that the data obtained from research addressing the health issues of Gulf War veterans do not satisfactorily clarify the origins, extent, and long-term implications of their health problems. The IOM committee concluded that there should have been more screening and medical examinations of deployed personnel before and after service in the Gulf. The many possible causes of the "Gulf War syndrome" examined, however, did not include circadian dysrhythmia or desynchronosis. It would have been possible to determine the level of desynchronosis in the returning Gulf War veterans, and to follow them into their subsequent pursuits to determine whether chronic desynchronosis was present in those who had persistent symptoms. If circadian dysrhythmia is found to be present in veterans now returning from the Gulf, they should receive treatment to correct the problem before they develop chronic desynchronosis.
LaDou
Joseph
J
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA 94143-0924, USA. joeladou@aol.com
D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007493:Iraq; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D018923:Persian Gulf Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D020178:Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm / Q000150:complications*; D014728:Veterans