Study could hold hope for ill Gulf War veterans

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Study could hold hope for ill Gulf War veterans

Research focuses on fighting bacteria known as mycoplasma

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Arthur struggles to hang on to his morning cup of

coffee. It's a valiant effort, but the hot liquid usually wins - spilling

out of the mug and burning 's shaky hand.

Tremors are among several symptoms has complained about since getting

back from the Gulf War 10 years ago. He also struggles with memory loss,

exhaustion and severe depression.

" What's happening in my brain? " asked a nurse during a recent visit

to Nashville's Veterans Affairs Medical Center. " I didn't go away like

this. "

The plight of the 43-year-old former Army sergeant is not uncommon.

Of the 500,000 veterans who served in the Gulf War between August 1990 and

July 1991, 150,000 are receiving compensation for service-related

disabilities, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. More than

3,000 have " Gulf War syndrome " - illnesses doctors can't diagnose but

believe are linked to the veterans' Gulf War service.

The government has spent $8 million and the past year studying an antibiotic

that may help syndrome sufferers. The 500 participants all tested positive

for strains of a bacteria in their blood known as mycoplasma, which

scientists believe might be related to their illnesses.

Veterans returned home complaining of headaches, chronic fatigue, rashes,

joint and muscular pain, memory loss, reproductive problems, depression and

gastrointestinal problems.

Smoke from oil well fires, depleted uranium in U.S. weaponry, vaccinations

and exposure to chemical or biological weapons have all been cited by

veterans as possible sources of exposure.

The government initially dismissed the illnesses as psychological, but the

Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs now acknowledge serious health

problems exist. They maintain, however, that no single illness is

responsible.

Nearly 200 government studies have reviewed the veterans' exposure theories,

about half of which are still ongoing, and none have pointed to a single

cause.

Only two studies have focused on a treatment for Gulf War syndrome - the

antibiotic study and one examining the benefits of exercise and behavioral

therapy. The latter involves about 1,100 veterans.

The antibiotic study was conducted at about 30 veterans and military clinics

nationwide, including Nashville, Milwaukee and Manchester, N.H.

Along with testing positive for mycoplasma, participants showed signs of

chronic fatigue, memory loss or muscle or skeletal pain. Half were given the

antibiotic doxycycline for a year, and half were given a placebo.

Participants were seen monthly by nurses, who also tracked symptoms during a

six month post-treatment period ending this summer.

The study, to be published later this year, should show whether veterans

taking the antibiotic improved while taking the drug and whether the

bacteria was still present in subsequent blood tests.

Some research has shown Gulf War veterans have a higher rate of mycoplasma

infections than the general population, but Dr. Feussner, chief

research and development officer for the Veterans Health Administration,

said too few people have been tested for mycoplasma infections to reach a

true conclusion.

Feussner said it's also unclear how the veterans contracted the infection,

which exists around the world.

There already is anecdotal evidence that the antibiotic is working, Feussner

said.

For example, Kay Bingham, study coordinator in Birmingham, Ala., said half

her patients felt better while taking the pills and felt worse without them.

She doesn't know if those patients were taking doxycycline or a placebo.

For veterans like , answers can't come soon enough. The sville

man lost his job due to his health problems, and he fears his depression and

anger are taking a toll on his personal life.

" I don't know how long I'm going to be able to keep my marriage together, "

he said. " If I turn around and lose my home and my family, I have no reason

to live. "

That worries nurse Debbie Greene, study coordinator at the Nashville VA

hospital where there are 35 participants, the largest of any site. The Fort

Army base straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee border is just 60 miles

northwest of Nashville.

" I have a tremendous appreciation for these veterans and what they're going

through, " Greene said. " I do feel like there is something physical wrong

with these patients. "

Dennis Easterday, a retired Army staff sergeant from Knoxville, is glad the

government is doing the study, even though it didn't offer him immediate

relief.

" The medicine never fazed me. I kept getting worse instead of better, " said

Easterday, who speculated he was taking a placebo.

If the study is successful, Easterday believes veterans' families should be

tested for mycoplasma infections.

" I'm concerned for what I've done to my family. All of a sudden my family is

beginning to have problems, " said Easterday, 48. Their symptoms included

rashes, fatigue and respiratory problems.

Bingham said study participants often report their families are experiencing

similar symptoms.

" We know that mycoplasmas are transmitted between contact with other

individuals, " said Dr. Baseman, a mycoplasma expert in San who

is performing the lab work for the study.

But Baseman said it is not certain that veterans are transmitting their

infections, or that the mycoplasma bacteria is even the cause of their

illnesses.

" It's a hypothesis, " he said. " We are trying very hard to do the solid

science that will allow us to come to a comfortable, scientifically based

solution. "

Baseman said what he can't replicate in the lab are the conditions under

which veterans lived during the Gulf War. That is one of the reasons he

believes scientists may never learn exactly what caused these mysterious

illnesses.

" Imagine you get sick eight years ago, nine years ago, 10 years ago, and now

you tell me, , I would like you to figure out what happened to me 10

years ago. This is really a serious challenge, " he said. " You may never find

that initial trauma. "

That can be difficult for some veterans to understand, and it's also hard

for them to remain patient with the government, said retired Army Staff Sgt.

Spalding, another study participant from sville.

" I'd like to see them tell us the truth and cure us, " he said. " We did our

job and now it's time for them to do us right. "

ON THE NET

Defense Department Gulf War information: www.gulflink.osd.mil/

Department of Veterans Affairs Gulf War information:

www.va.gov/health/environ/persgulf.htm

MYCOPLASMA

Facts about mycoplasma, a type of bacteria that some scientists believe

might be related to Gulf War illnesses:

Mycoplasmas lack cell walls and represent the smallest self-replicating life

form.

Various kinds of mycoplasma species exist. Several have been linked to

illnesses including respiratory, joint and genital tract diseases.

Some strains of mycoplasma are contagious.

The earliest reports of mycoplasmas as infectious agents in humans appeared

in the 1930s.

The ability of antibiotics to treat mycoplasma infections may depend on the

health of a patient's immune system.

Department of Microbiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center

at San