More Research Into Gulf War Syndrome

More research is needed for veterans with Gulf War Syndrome, which symptoms include chronic headaches, fatigue and memory problems.

16:37 19 January 2016

More help is needed for veterans with Gulf War Syndrome, the Royal British Legion has said, as it marks 25 years since the beginning of that conflict.

 

Over 33,000 soldiers are thought to suffer from illnesses related to their services and experience the following symptoms: chronic fatigue, headaches and sleep disturbances to joint pains, irritable bowel, stomach and respiratory disorders and psychological problems.

 

For this reason, the charity is asking for more research to be conducted to provide more help for the soldiers.  

 

The Ministry of Defence responded by saying that it was always open to new research proposals. However, it commented on Gulf War Syndrome saying: "the overwhelming consensus of the scientific and medical community" is that the range of symptoms is too broad "for this ill health to be characterised as a syndrome in medical terms".

 

In 1991, the country deployed more than 50,000 members of British armed forces in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Storm – a US-led campaign against the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

 

Marie Louise Sharp, policy adviser at the Legion, said that 25 years on, more needed to be done to help ill soldiers.

 

"We know the health of ill Gulf War veterans continues to be an important area for the government, which is why the Legion is calling for investment into research so we can understand how to improve the lives of those affected," she said.

 

"In addition, we ask for formal communication channels to be established to convey the results of US research developments to Gulf War veterans living here in the UK."