The report did find evidence that Gulf War veterans had an elevated risk of the rare nerve disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease. They also face an increased risk of anxiety disorders, depression, and substance abuse, it said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs contracted with the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, to review scientific studies and probe the issue, at the direction of Congress. VA spokesman Phil Budahn said the department would not comment until it had a chance to study the report.
Yesterday's report is the latest in the important series, on which the VA will rely to determine whether Gulf War veterans are eligible for special disability benefits if they are found to suffer from illnesses that can be linked to their service.
Veterans can now claim those benefits only by making an undiagnosed illness claim, said Steve Robinson, a Gulf War Army veteran and government relations director for Veterans for America.
``They keep saying it over and over, every year. We know that -- we know that there is no single thing that made veterans sick. We know this thing is likely a combination of various exposures," Robinson said in pushing for new studies he hopes will find what ails tens of thousands of vets.
However, the report's confirmation that Gulf War veterans are sicker may actually help them secure government benefits, said Shannon Middleton, assistant director of health policy for the American Legion.
A member of the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, also chartered by Congress, called the report the first step in cataloging the studies done on veterans of the conflict.
