Rheumatic disordres during operation desert storm

Rheumatic Findings in Gulf War Veterans

“…In 2 previous studies of rheumatic disease in the military population, mechanical low back pain and patellofemoral syndrome were also the most commonly diagnosed conditions. 11,12 However, we observed a much higher incidence of fibromyalgia than was seen previously. In our study, 17% of patients referred to rheumatology were diagnosed as having fibromyalgia, compared with 8% diagnosed at an evacuation hospital during Operation Desert Storm 12 and 8% of Air Force recruits who have to be medically discharged for fibromyalgia.…”

“…11,12 However, we observed a much higher incidence of fibromyalgia than was seen previously. In our study, 17% of patients referred to rheumatology were diagnosed as having fibromyalgia, compared with 8% diagnosed at an evacuation hospital during Operation Desert Storm 12 and 8% of Air Force recruits who have to be medically discharged for fibromyalgia. 11 Both of these studies were large; therefore, the difference may simply be a reflection of study size or could have represented a manifestation of posttraumatic stress disorder after the Gulf War.…”

“…9,10,13 A high frequency of rheumatic symptoms and diagnoses was observed in our Gulf War patients, a finding that supports the previous observations described in the literature. 9,10,13 In fact, the rheumatic diagnoses established in our patients after the Gulf War were not different from those diagnoses reported by West 12 during Operation Desert Storm. Rheumatic diseases were seen in 19 (14%) of the Gulf War patients in our study population, with more than half having osteoarthritis.…”

“…16,17 Musculoskeletal disorders are extremely common among active-duty soldiers and can be a major cause of disability. 11,12 Furthermore, rheumatic complaints have been frequently described in war-related syndromes from the US Civil War to the Gulf War. 9,10,13 A high frequency of rheumatic symptoms and diagnoses was observed in our Gulf War patients, a finding that supports the previous observations described in the literature.…”

“…Rheumatic symptoms are common among soldiers in war and peace. [9][10][11][12][13] The goal of this study was to retrospectively describe the specific rheumatic diagnoses and the frequency of abnormal serologic test results in the first 250 Gulf War veterans evaluated in CCEP at Wilford Hall Medical Center and Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Tex, between November 1994 and April 1995.…”