Sunday, February 14, 1999
Cincinnati one of five treatment centers for Gulf War Syndrome
BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Even as experts continue debating the causes of Gulf War Syndrome, the VA Medical Center in Cincinnati is one of five centers nationwide planning to start offering treatment for the condition.
The VA Medical Center seeks at least 100 Gulf War veterans willing to participate in a treatment “demonstration project.” If successful, the program could be expanded nationwide, said Dr. Dewleen Baker, primary investigator for the Cincinnati demonstration project.
Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (1990-91) involved more than 700,000 U.S. troops plus soldiers from several other nations who were sent to force the invading Iraqi army out of Kuwait. The conflict included 2,694 members of the Ohio National Guard and other reserves.
Like troops nationwide, many Ohio veterans reported sharp declines in health after returning home, including fatigue, respiratory problems, joint and muscle pain, memory loss, skin disorders and digestive problems, according to a January 1998 report by the Center for the Study of Veterans in Society.
The report states 73 percent of the Ohio male veterans reported at least one new medical problem after returning from the Persian Gulf, compared to 29 percent of veterans who were not sent to the Gulf.
Theories abound about the causes of Gulf War Syndrome: exposure to nerve gas and other biological or chemical weapons stored in Iraqi munitions dumps; Middle Eastern bacteria strains or viruses; toxic smoke from raging oil well fires; irritation from desert sand and dust; exposure to depleted uranium from shrapnel wounds or handling artillery shells; the mental and physical stresses of warfare; or some or all of the above.
Demonstration treatment programs, authorized by Congress last year, begin this year in five cities: Brockton, Mass.; Seattle; Tampa, Fla.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati program will focus heavily on helping veterans cope with chronic pain. The program involves a detailed physical and mental health exam, plus counseling, medications and a custom-designed “therapeutic exercise” program.
One goal of the demonstration program is to rebuild trust among veterans who say the VA system hasn't taken their complaints seriously or has been hiding health information.
As one unnamed veteran complained in the Ohio Desert Storm report: “I went through the VA hospital and had 41 tests and they didn't tell me any of the results, but they billed me for over $600.”
“We acknowledge there are reasons that veterans are angry,” Dr. Baker said. “We acknowledge that many people still have unexplained symptoms. We may never know what caused the symptoms. But we can still try to treat those symptoms to improve (veterans') quality of life.”
For information about the Gulf War Syndrome demonstration treatment project, veterans should call Carolyn Homan, R.N., at (513) 475-6385 or (888) 855-3321.
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