Signs, Symptoms, and Ill-Defined Conditions in Persian Gulf War Veterans
Findings From the Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19305995 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael J Roy (0000-0001-6727-774X, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research), Patricia A Koslowe, Patricia Koslowe (Ministerio de Defensa), Kurt Kroenke (0000-0002-0114-4669, General Department of Preventive Medicine), Charles Magruder (Ministerio de Defensa) |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 663-668 |
| Publication date | 1998-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychosomatic Medicine (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-3174 • E-ISSN: 1534-7796 |
| Publisher | Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1097/00006842-199811000-00001 |
| PMID | 9847023 |
| OpenAlex | W2090817776 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 29 |
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the type and frequency of signs, symptoms, and ill-defined conditions (SSID; International Classification of Diseases-9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes 780-799) identified by physicians evaluating Persian Gulf War veterans; to determine the influence of the extent of evaluation on the type and frequency of SSID diagnoses; and to search for evidence for a new illness, or illness related to wartime exposures, in veterans with ill-defined conditions. METHOD: Comprehensive examinations were provided for 21,579 consecutive Persian Gulf War veterans with symptoms or health concerns after the war. Data recorded on all individuals includes demographics, self-reported exposures, symptoms, and physician-assigned ICD-9-CM primary and secondary diagnoses. A detailed psychosocial history, including a multidisciplinary discussion, was incorporated for a subset of participants. RESULTS: SSID conditions were primary diagnoses for 17.2% of veterans, and either primary or secondary diagnoses for 41.8%. Although some SSIDs were objective conditions (eg, sleep apnea), most were simply symptoms. More comprehensive evaluation, especially the multidisciplinary discussion of findings, decreased the frequency of symptoms as diagnoses and increased the number of DSM-IV psychiatric diagnoses. Ill-defined conditions were not associated with particular self-reported exposures or demographic variables. CONCLUSIONS: Ill-defined conditions identified by physicians in Gulf War veterans are most often symptoms. More definitive, often psychological, diagnoses can be made by increasing the intensity of the evaluation and by multidisciplinary input. Evidence for a new or unique illness related to wartime exposures did not emerge from this analysis
Gulf war · Medical diagnosis · Multidisciplinary approach · Pathology · Persian · Psychiatry · Psychosocial · Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research · Medicine · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
Symptom attribution to a medically unexplained syndrome is associated with greater perceived severity and bothersomeness of symptoms in US military veterans
Are Veterans Seeking Veterans Affairs' Primary Care as Healthy as Those Seeking Department of Defense Primary Care? A Look at Gulf War Veterans' Symptoms and Functional Status
Are Veterans Seeking Veterans Affairs’ Primary Care as Healthy as Those Seeking Department of Defense Primary Care? A Look at Gulf War Veterans’ Symptoms and Functional Status
Identifying Illness
Posttraumatic Stress Symptomatology Is Associated With Unexplained Illness Attributed to Persian Gulf War Military Service
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Revisited
She thought the same way I that I thought
Empirical Evaluation of Veterans’ Perceived Nonconcordance With Providers Regarding Medically Unexplained Symptoms
| Citations per year | 0.29 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1998 - 2025 (28) |
| Highly cited | No |