The Impact of Post-Traumatic Stress on Symptom Presentation of Women with Gulf War Illness
Abstract
Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a multi-symptomatic disorder characterized by fatigue, muscle pain, cognitive problems, gastrointestinal issues, etc. affecting an estimated 30% of the ~750,000 returning military Veterans of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. Female Veterans deployed to combat in this war report medical symptoms, involving cognition and respiratory troubles, at twice the rate compared to nondeployed female Veterans of the same era. The heterogeneity of GWI symptom presentation complicates diagnosis as well as the identification of effective treatments. This is exacerbated by the presence of comorbidities which may be alleviated by defining subgroups of the illness, such as an obvious gender stratification. Our aim is to determine if women with GWI can be further subdivided into distinct subgroups based on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom presentation. This study looked at 35 Veterans diagnosed with GWI and compared them with 35 healthy sedentary controls. Based on the distinct differences found in PTSD symptomology regarding all health and trauma symptoms, two subgroups stratified based on the severity of PTSD symptoms were derived within female GWI Veterans. Hierarchical regression models displayed the comorbid effects of GWI and PTSD, both having measurable impacts on physical and social outcomes of poor health (ΔR2 = 0.08 - 0.672), with notable differences in mental and emotional measures. Overall, in women with GWI and PTSD, a cut point analysis indicated supported the understanding that comorbid symptoms of GWI and PTSD subsequently result in poorer health outcomes, along with establishing the possibility of varied clinical presentations.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Travis Craddock
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-6-2022 12:00 PM
End Date
4-7-2022 5:00 PM
The Impact of Post-Traumatic Stress on Symptom Presentation of Women with Gulf War Illness
Alvin Sherman Library
Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a multi-symptomatic disorder characterized by fatigue, muscle pain, cognitive problems, gastrointestinal issues, etc. affecting an estimated 30% of the ~750,000 returning military Veterans of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. Female Veterans deployed to combat in this war report medical symptoms, involving cognition and respiratory troubles, at twice the rate compared to nondeployed female Veterans of the same era. The heterogeneity of GWI symptom presentation complicates diagnosis as well as the identification of effective treatments. This is exacerbated by the presence of comorbidities which may be alleviated by defining subgroups of the illness, such as an obvious gender stratification. Our aim is to determine if women with GWI can be further subdivided into distinct subgroups based on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom presentation. This study looked at 35 Veterans diagnosed with GWI and compared them with 35 healthy sedentary controls. Based on the distinct differences found in PTSD symptomology regarding all health and trauma symptoms, two subgroups stratified based on the severity of PTSD symptoms were derived within female GWI Veterans. Hierarchical regression models displayed the comorbid effects of GWI and PTSD, both having measurable impacts on physical and social outcomes of poor health (ΔR2 = 0.08 - 0.672), with notable differences in mental and emotional measures. Overall, in women with GWI and PTSD, a cut point analysis indicated supported the understanding that comorbid symptoms of GWI and PTSD subsequently result in poorer health outcomes, along with establishing the possibility of varied clinical presentations.
