The Institute of Medicine calls the syndrome a 'very real, highly diverse' condition.
(HealthDay)—A one-size-fits-all approach to
treating U.S. veterans with Gulf War Syndrome does not work, and therapy needs
to be tailored to meet each patient's needs, according to a new Institute of
Medicine report released Wednesday.
The document—written as part of the institute's
congressionally mandated Gulf War and Health series—evaluates the various
treatments for Gulf War Syndrome in veterans of the 1991 conflict and recommends
best approaches to managing their care.
The official name for Gulf War Syndrome is chronic
multisystem illness (CMI), which is defined as having symptoms in at least two
of six categories—fatigue, mood and cognition (thinking ability and memory),
musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, respiratory and neurologic—for at least six
months.
The condition affects at least one-third of veterans of
the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Similar symptoms have been reported in many military
personnel who served in the more recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Based on the voluminous evidence we reviewed, our
committee cannot recommend using one universal therapy to manage the health of
veterans with chronic multi-symptom illness, and we reject a one-size-fits-all
treatment approach," committee chairman Bernard Rosof, chairman of the board of
directors at Huntington Hospital, in Huntington, N.Y., said in an institute news
release. "Instead, we endorse individualized health care management plans as the
best approach for treating this very real, highly diverse condition."
The report listed many treatment approaches that might
help these veterans, including certain antidepressant drugs and cognitive
behavioral therapy. Other possibilities mentioned for further research include
biofeedback, aerobic exercise and acupuncture.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should adopt a new
strategy of creating "CMI champions" to help its health care providers better
assist Gulf War Syndrome patients, who often have complex symptoms and needs,
the report said.
To improve the government's ability to identify veterans
with Gulf War Syndrome, patients' electronic medical records should prompt
health care providers to ask patients about possible symptoms, the report
recommended.
In addition, veterans should undergo a comprehensive
health examination immediately after they leave active duty, and the results of
these exams should be available to health care providers both within and outside
the VA health system to ensure continuity of care.
The cause or causes of Gulf War Syndrome will never fully
be determined, the report said, but this does not mean that veterans' reports of
symptoms are not legitimate.
More information: The U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs has more about Gulf War veterans' illnesses.
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights
reserved.
"U.S. vets with Gulf War Syndrome need individualized
treatment, report says." January 23rd, 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-vets-gulf-war-syndrome-individualized.html
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Robert Karl Stonjek
Robert Karl Stonjek
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