Vascular and Skeletal Muscle Function in Gulf War Veterans Illness

Abstract

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a constellation of symptoms including fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, memory loss, and mood changes reported by Gulf War Veterans shortly after their return in 1991. Approximately 40 percent of Gulf War Veterans (over million Veterans) have GWI by the Center for Disease Control criteria for GWI (a recommended method for defining GWI). The underlying causes of GWI are poorly understood. The overall goal of our study is to determine if there are differences in blood vessels, skeletal muscle performance, and their controlling proteins and genes in Gulf War Veterans with and without GWI. Abnormalities in these factors may explain the symptoms of fatigue and muscle pain that are major parts of GWI. These insights could lead to new treatments for GWI as well as other illnesses with similar symptoms. Our pilot data show that we can assess blood flow to muscle, muscle strength and fatigue and examine proteins and genes from a specimen of muscle in Gulf War Veterans. We will assess if abnormalities in these factors are potential explanations for GWI. This study is seeking to enroll 70 Veterans (35 with GWI and 35 without GWI) and is currently open to enrollment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2019
Accession Number
AD1087256

Entities

People

  • Scott Kinlay

Organizations

  • Boston VA Research Institute

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arteries
  • Biomedical Research
  • Blood Flow
  • Catheterization
  • Data Analysis
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Electron Microscopy
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Health Services
  • Institutional Review Board
  • Medical Personnel
  • Microscopy
  • Musculoskeletal Physiology
  • Persian Gulf Syndrome
  • Skeletal Muscle

Readers

  • Gulf War Illness and Chronic Multisymptom Illness in Veterans.