Biorepository Gulf War Veterans' Illness

BOSTON —

Veterans of the first Gulf War are being asked to help solve the mystery of what continues to make so many veterans of that conflict sick.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched the Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Biorepository (GWVIB) to support research on the causes, progression and treatment of disorders affecting veterans of that war from 1990-1991.

About 697,000 men and women served in the first Gulf War, and since then nearly 250,000 have experienced chronic, medically unexplained illnesses, known collectively as Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses, according to a statement released by the VA on Friday. Symptoms include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, as well as disordered respiratory, digestive, and cognitive function. The cause of these illnesses is unknown, and effective treatments remain elusive.

Biorepositories, also called bio-banks, collect and store human fluid and tissue samples. Veterans who enroll in the study agree to donate their brain and other body tissue after their death. Their health status will be followed during their lifetimes through mailed surveys, telephone calls and electronic health records, the VA said.

"Hundreds of thousands of ill Veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War depend on cutting-edge biomedical research to better understand and treat these illnesses, and providing crucial tissue and health information to researchers will be a vital resource for this research," the project’s principal investigator, Dr. Neil Kowall, said in the statement.

All veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War era living in the U.S., regardless of whether they served in the Gulf region or are experiencing symptoms are eligible to participate. Additional information about on the study can be found by calling toll-free 855-561-7827.

Posted Jan 11, 2013

Read more: http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x2105868760/Vets-of-1st-Gulf-War-asked-to-help-solve-mystery-illness#ixzz2HmdQeJVi

 Today we have VA primary care doctors who have no idea of the side effects of gulf war exposures.  Many veterans who need proper evaluation should take part in WRIISC to find medical staff who have knowledge of the signs and sympthoms that environmental materials had a  negative efeect on on the human body. Veterans must demand a second opion from these facilities.

The Follow-up Study of a National Cohort of Gulf War and Gulf Era Veterans is the third in a series of surveys that examines the health of Veterans who were deployed to the 1990-1991 Gulf War and Veterans who served elsewhere during the same period. The current survey examines trends in health status over time. The results of this study will help VA to better understand the health consequences of military deployment and to guide delivery of health care.
http://www.gulflink.org

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/epidemiology/studies/gulf-war-follow-up.asp