Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness: May 15

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is nearly four times as common in veterans of the first Persian Gulf War as in nonveterans, according to a new study

Article: "Association of Medically Unexplained Fatigue with ACE Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism in Gulf War Veterans," Georgirene D. Vladutiu, Ph.D. and Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D., Muscle & Nerve;


The Persian Gulf War began in 1991, but more than 170,000 veterans still are battling Gulf War syndrome. For years, they battled stigma and disbelief, but finally in late 2008 a congressionally mandated panel concluded that Gulf War syndrome (GWS) is in fact "real" and is not a psychological condition

Symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome & Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Symptoms of Gulf War syndrome include:

•Chronic fatigue
•Cognitive dysfunction
•Joint and muscle pain
•Anxiety
•Depression
•Pain or discomfort related to sexual intercourse
•Bronchitis
•Asthma
Of those symptoms, bronchitis, asthma, and
pain related to intercourse appear to be unique to GWS.

Classes of Drugs Used as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatments
Several categories of drugs are used to treat ME/CFS. They include:

•Antimicrobial drugs (includes antiviral, antibiotic)
•Antidepressants (SSRIs/SNRIs and tricyclic)
•Anxiety or anxiolytic agents
•Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
•Blood-pressure medications

http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/treatingfmscfs/a/cfsdrugs.htm

We must have VA office of Environmental Agents ;
VA office of Education and
VA office of Pubic Relations communicate this health problem to staff the veterans/stakeholders interact the most --
Primary Care Doctors/PA
and C&P Doctors/PA
VA Claims Adjuticators.