Gulf War syndrome

A highly controversial syndrome involving a constellation of illnesses experienced by 5,000 to 80,000 American veterans who were in the Gulf War.

(The Veterans Administration considers those who served between August 2, 1990 and July 31, 1991 as 'Gulf War Conflict' veterans.) Despite extensive (and expensive) research, no specific cause has been found for the Gulf War syndrome.

Consequently, many physicians and scientists (but very few of the veterans with the syndrome) regard it as the result of psychological and social factors.

A study reported in 2001 disclosed that the diagnosis depends upon who sees the patient and that mental health workers are more likely to believe that Gulf War illness is due to a physical factor such as a contagious or toxic agent, while general internal medicine physicians are more likely to think that the syndrome is a manifestation of mental illness