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The Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) was initiated in 2006 to provide support for research of exceptional scientific merit to study the health effects of deployment on U.S. Warfighters during the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War. The GWIRP challenges the scientific community to design high-impact research that will improve the health and lives of Veterans who have Gulf War illness (GWI).

GWI is characterized by multiple, diverse symptoms that typically include chronic headache, widespread pain, cognitive difficulties, debilitating fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory symptoms, sleep problems, and other abnormalities that could not be explained by established medical diagnoses or standard laboratory tests. The population of Veterans affected by GWI is a subset of the nearly 700,000 U.S. Warfighters who served during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Studies indicate that approximately 25-32% of Gulf War Veterans continue to experience symptoms associated with their deployment.

The GWIRP focuses on funding innovative, competitively peer-reviewed research to (1) provide a better understanding of the pathobiology underlying GWI, (2) identify objective markers (biomarkers) for improved diagnosis, and (3) to develop treatments for the complex of GWI symptoms and their underlying causes. Our Vision is to make a significant impact on GWI and improve the health and lives of affected Veterans and their families.