Antibodies to Squalene in US Navy Persian Gulf War Veterans with Chronic Multisymptom Illness

Abstract

Since the end of the 1991 Gulf War, there have been reports of unexplained, multisymptom illnesses afflicting veterans who consistently report more symptoms than do nondeployed veterans. One of the many possible exposures suspected of causing chronic multisymptom illnesses Gulf War veterans is squalene, thought to be present in anthrax vaccine. We examined the relationship between squalene antibodies and chronic symptoms reported by Navy construction workers (Seabees), n = 579. 30.2% were deployers, 7.4% were defined as ill, and 43.5% were positive for squalene antibodies. We found no association between squalene antibody status and chronic multisymptom illness (p = 0.465). The etiology of Gulf War syndrome remains unknown, but should not include squalene antibody status.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA512332

Entities

People

  • Carl R. Alving
  • Christian J. Hansen
  • Christopher J. Phillips
  • Gary R Matyas
  • Margaret A.K. Ryan
  • Tyler Clain Smith

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antibodies
  • Bacterial Infections
  • Data Analysis
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Education
  • Gulfs
  • Health
  • Medical Personnel
  • Muscular Diseases
  • Pain
  • Persian Gulf
  • Persian Gulf War
  • Surveys
  • United States
  • Vaccines
  • War

Readers

  • Gulf War Illness and Chronic Multisymptom Illness in Veterans.
  • Infectious Disease/Epidemiology
  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology