Intended for healthcare professionals

Letters

The Gulf war syndrome

BMJ 1995; 310 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.310.6990.1334c (Published 20 May 1995) Cite this as: BMJ 1995;310:1334
  1. Edwina Currie
  1. Member of parliament House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

    EDITOR,—Tony Revell's letter concerning the 200 personnel now assessed by the Ministry of Defence raises more questions than it answers.1 Not the least is why it has taken over four years for the Ministry of Defence to start assessing these men and women when so many complaints were made soon after their return from the Gulf in 1991. Since 98% are (by the Ministry of Defence's own submission) suffering from something, perhaps Revell's medical service should have taken them more seriously in the first place.

    The Ministry of Defence should beware, however, of assuming that the diversity of conditions listed implies no link. Three factors are common to all those personnel who have been assessed so far: all were in the Gulf; all were given a large number of inoculations, often in a hurry; and all took nerve agent pretreatment sets (pyridostigmine bromide tablets) as protection against biological and chemical warfare. It is at least possible that one causative link is damage to the immune systems of some individuals. Given that certain immunisation materials were prepared in a non-commercial environment (and details have been classified as secret, even to parliamentary questioners) and that the administration of these materials in the desert seems to have left a lot to be desired, this theory should be tested. If the immune systems of Revell and myself were compromised, even temporarily, we would be vulnerable to different bugs, yet the cause would be the same.

    The high incidence of psychiatric conditions (36%) should also be viewed with concern. Changes in personality can be induced by exposure to chemicals; some people may be more susceptible than others. Many men reported serious side effects after taking nerve agent pretreatment sets, including enhanced aggression. These reports should be investigated thoroughly.

    We must protect our troops as well as possible in modern warfare. That implies an objective approach to all complaints after service in a particular field. It is to be hoped that the Ministry of Defence will now ensure thorough research into its own findings, preferably through civilian and NHS establishments.

    References

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