VA and other organizations conduct research evaluating the health effects of service in the Gulf during Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
You also may want to conduct an extensive search on Gulf War Veterans health through the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s PubMed.
VA epidemiology studies on Gulf War Veterans
The Follow-up Study of a National Cohort of Gulf War and Gulf Era Veterans is the third in a series of surveys to find out how the health of 1990-91 Gulf War-era Veterans has changed over time. The study began in May 2012, and results are expected mid 2014.
Researchers conducted an initial survey in 1995 and a second survey in 2005. A 2011 scientific article from the second survey, Longitudinal Health Study of US 1991 Gulf War Veterans: Changes in Health Status at 10-Year Follow-Up, finds that Gulf War Veterans’ health has worsened over time compared to the health of Gulf War-era Veterans who served elsewhere.
VA’s Epidemiology Program, a research division of the Office of Public Health, has many publications on Gulf War Veterans.
VA War Related Illness and Injury Study Centers research
VA’s War Related Illness and Injury Study Centers (WRIISCs) offer services to combat Veterans, families, and healthcare providers on deployment-related health concerns. Also, the WRIISCs conduct research that looks at post-deployment health issues and medically unexplained symptoms.
Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of the Sciences
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences is a non-government organization that evaluates scientific literature and provides advice. By law, VA contracts with the IOM to scientifically review evidence for possible connections between Gulf War Veterans’ illnesses and exposure to toxic agents, environmental or wartime hazards, or preventive medicine during military service.
Find out more about IOM reports and VA findings.
Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses
Congress created the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses in 1998 to make recommendations to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs about government research on health effects of military service during the Gulf War. View recently funded research studies and recently published research articles.
Read about the November 2008 RAC report and VA's conclusions.
DeployMed ResearchLINK
DeployMed ResearchLINK is a central resource of information on federally funded medical research related to deployments from the 1990-1991 Gulf War forward. DeployMed ResearchLINK is a collaborative effort of the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Department of Health and Human Services.
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