American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 153, No. 6 : 604-609
Copyright © 2001 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS |
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in British Gulf War Veterans
1 Guy's King's and St. Thomas' School of Medicine and Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom.
2 Gulf War Illness Research Unit, Guy's King's and St. Thomas' School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in British Gulf War veterans and to investigate their association with reported exposures and psychologic morbidity. In 1997–1998, the authors undertook a cross-sectional survey of three cohorts of British military personnel comprising Gulf veterans (n = 3,531), those who had served in Bosnia (n = 2,050), and those serving during the Gulf War but not deployed there (Era cohort, n = 2,614). MCS and CFS were defined according to operational criteria. The prevalence of MCS in the Gulf, Bosnia, and Era cohorts was 1.3%, 0.3%, and 0.2%, respectively. For CFS, the prevalence was 2.1% (Gulf cohort), 0.7% (Bosnia cohort), and 1.8% (Era cohort). In Gulf veterans, MCS was strongly associated with exposure to pesticides (adjusted odds ratio = 12.3, 95% confidence interval: 5.1, 30.0). Both syndromes were associated with high levels of psychologic morbidity. These findings suggest that CFS and MCS account for some of the medically unexplained illnesses reported by veterans after deployment to the Gulf. MCS was particularly associated with Gulf deployment and self-reported exposure to pesticides, findings that merit further exploration given the controversial status of this diagnosis and the potential for recall bias in a questionnaire survey.
fatigue syndrome, chronic; multiple chemical sensitivity; occupational exposure; Persian Gulf syndrome
Abbreviations: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CFS, chronic fatigue syndrome; MCS, multiple chemical sensitivity.
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