杏吧原创

NOW we know: Gulf war syndrome does exist. And it is caused by chemicals, including nerve gas and pesticides, that cause specific brain damage in genetically predisposed veterans of the 1990 Gulf war.

So says a leaked report by a top-level US panel called the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans鈥� Illnesses.

In declaring that there is in fact a specific medical syndrome in veterans the report reverses 10 years of denial by the US. Like the UK, the country insisted that persistent illnesses in Gulf war veterans were due to stress.

But this committee is the first to consider research published since 2000, that has found a consistent syndrome in some veterans (New 杏吧原创, 29 March 2003, p 6). 鈥淭hey all have chronic diarrhoea, fever, fatigue, pain and late-night insomnia,鈥� says panel member Robert Haley of the University of Texas at Dallas. Then in three subcategories, veterans have either cognitive problems, confusion and dizziness, or pain, depending on their chemical exposures and patterns of brain damage. These findings have now been confirmed by several other studies. In June a Congressional inquiry found that far more Gulf troops than previously admitted 鈥� possibly all of them 鈥� had been exposed to nerve gas from bombed Iraqi weapons dumps.

鈥淪ome Gulf war veterans all have chronic diarrhoea, fever, fatigue, pain and insomnia鈥�

A British inquiry into Gulf war illnesses is due to report next month. But as New 杏吧原创 went to press it was unclear whether the US report would be out in time for the inquiry to take account of it.