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Subject: THE PERSIAN GULF STUDY   4 THRU 9 NOV 93                        

Unit: VAR. BUMED  

Parent Organization: BUMED       

Box ID: BX303801

Folder Title: VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 8                                                                

Document Number:          1

Folder SEQ  #:         12










         INTRODUCTION

               Since the end of the war in Southwest Asia in 1991, a number
         of veterans have complained of a mysterious array of non-specific
         symptoms.     The symptoms experienced by certain veterans of
         Operation Desert Shield and Storm (ODSS) comprise what has been
         called the Persian Gulf Mystery Illness (PGNI) or the Persian Gulf
         Syndrome. This is an illness with no established case definition.

               The cause of these cases has continued to elude the Veterans
         Administration (VA), the Department of Defense (DOD), and members
         of the medical community.       Among the many hypotheses on the
         etiology of these symptoms are chemical warfare, biological
         warfare, indigenous infectious agents, and the stress of war.
         Scientific evidence to support any of these hypotheses, so far, has
         been insufficient.    For this reason, concerted efforts to gather
         more information continue.

               Reservists or former Naval Reservists appear to be the largest
         group of veterans affected by PGMI. Therefore, the VA has taken a
         leading role in providing services.     In response to the needs of
         those with PGMI, the VA started a Persian Gulf Registry.          The
         purpose of this registry is to follow the future health outcomes of
         veterans of ODSS. Also, the registry will serve as a data bank for
         research.   In addition to the registry, the VA has organized a
         support system called the Persian Gulf Family Support Program and
         augmented the VA readjustment   counseling program . The VA medical
         centers in Washington D.C., Houston, and Los Angeles have been
         designated as special Persian   Gulf Referral Centers for evaluating
         those most seriously affected (1). Lastly, the VA medical center
         at Birmingham, Alabama, has been tasked with researching the
ts of   chemical agents (2).

               Efforts to explain the problem of PGMI have also been
         undertaken by the DOD. The U.S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency
         (USAERA) has studied the possiblility of byproducts of burning oil
         wells being a causative factor.     Preliminary results of some of
         these efforts have been released, but the final report is still
         pending.

               Finally, the Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit
         Number Two (NEPMU2), Norfolk, Virginia, under the direction of
         Captain S. W. Berg, has been studying Reserve Naval Mobile
         Construction Battalion 24. This Seabee battalion is located in the
         Southeast United States. The study began in November of 1992 with
         visits to detachments in Asheville, North Carolina, and Columbus,
         Georgia. These detachments were chosen because of the large number
         of members or former members in specific detachments who complained
         of symptoms they believed were associated with their service in
         Southwest Asia.    Results from these visits helped to define the
         symptomatology that was being experienced,          but diagnostic
         information was not available.

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Document 28 f:/Week-37/BX303801/VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 8/the persian gulf study 4 thru 9 nov 93:1122961638182
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-37
Box ID = BX303801
Unit = VAR. BUMED
Parent Organization = BUMED
Folder Title = VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 8
Folder Seq # = 12
Subject = THE PERSIAN GULF STUDY 4 THRU 9 NOV 93
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 22-NOV-1996