Researchers have identified a major defect in the cells of Gulf War Illness sufferers that they believe explains a host of mysterious health problems that have plagued many veterans for decades.
Researchers from Griffith University have discovered that cellular dysfunction in veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI) may be caused by extensive exposure to dangerous biological and chemical agents while serving in war.
The results of this discovery, the first of its kind in the world, were published in the journal PLOS ONE. It solves a mystery that has puzzled medical scientists for decades.
Gulf War Illness, or Gulf War Syndrome, is a group of physical and psychological symptoms that occurred in soldiers who participated in the Second Gulf War, including immune system disorders, chronic fatigue, pain, inflammation, sleep disturbances, neurological and cognitive impairment, gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, and post-exertional malaise.
Research by the National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED) at Griffith University on the Gold Coast has revealed that integral cellular structures that transport calcium into cells, known as transient receptor potential channels (TRP channels), are defective in veterans with Gulf War syndrome.
The role of calcium inside cells, as a signaling molecule, was pivotal, regulating basic functions such as muscle contraction, nerve function and hormone secretion, said Professor Sonia Marshall-Gradisnik, director of the National Center for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases and lead author of the study.
“Our findings provide clear scientific evidence that the health problems experienced by Gulf War veterans can be directly related to their exposure to certain risk factors during their service,” she added. “Our study reveals a critical dysfunction of cellular ion channels, specifically transient receptor potential ion channels (TRP channels), in veterans with Gulf War syndrome. This discovery is an important step forward in understanding this puzzling and complex disease.”
The team's findings were crucial in demystifying Gulf War syndrome, providing conclusive scientific evidence of a condition that has long been difficult for sufferers to acknowledge and accept, said study co-author Etienne Sasso, of the National Center for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases.
“During the Gulf War, defense personnel were exposed to a wide range of factors, including environmental stressors, biological and chemical agents,” she said. “Our research clearly shows that cell structures within the human body are sensitive and vulnerable to these factors, causing cellular dysfunction. This advance in understanding the cause of Gulf War Syndrome now provides hope for researchers to be able to develop new treatments to improve the future of our veterans.”
It is worth noting that World War II affects between 25% and 32% of the approximately one million veterans from 41 countries who served in the Gulf War (1990-1991). Many of them were exposed to multiple mandatory vaccinations, nerve agent prophylaxis, and a variety of hazardous agents, including pesticides, nerve agents, and depleted uranium, which is what many theories suggest is the cause of Gulf War Syndrome, which scientists and researchers have not yet been able to solve all the mysteries of.