Researchers have a new theory that might explain Gulf War Illness and yield a new target for future treatments of the chronic health condition that affects one-in-three soldiers who served in the 1991 Gulf War.
The ongoing symptoms of Gulf War Illness – including fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, joint pain, diarrhea, insomnia and cognitive impairment – are thought to have been triggered by exposure to environmental toxins, and to linger due to a persistent inflammatory response from the body's immune system.
Instead, a small study suggests mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles found inside cells, may be the true source of the long lingering symptoms.
"This is a radical rethinking of the pathology of Gulf War Illness," study co-author Dr. Beatrice Golomb of University of California San Diego School of Medicine said in a statement.
When researchers compared mitochondrial function and inflammation in 36 volunteers, including 19 veterans with Gulf War Illness, they found the veterans' symptoms "show a far stronger relationship to the mitochondrial measure than to inflammation," according to a paper published on Wednesday in Science Reports.
Mitochondrial impairment as a cause of conditions associated with Gulf War Illness would not necessarily rule out a role for inflammation, they said.
But mitochondrial impairment – and its effect on cell energy production - could explain some of the conditions associated with the syndrome that arise from inadequate cell energy, such as heart attacks, heart failure and stroke, the researchers said.
They noted that dietary supplements that support mitochondrial function have benefited veterans with Gulf War Illness in earlier studies.
"For veterans who have long struggled to get effective care," Golomb said, "this discovery could be a real game changer."
This newsletter was edited by Bill Berkrot.
