By nearly all measures, this war was a victory not only for United States combat troops and its allies but also for the military health care system. As a result of these efforts and prevention programs established before the war, the disease and non-battle injury rate among deployed U.S. forces was lower in this war than in previous major conflicts. Despite the success of military medicine in the Arabian Gulf, the general perception almost ten years later is considerably different because of unresolved questions about the health of Gulf War veterans. In particular, veterans have experienced fatigue, joint pains, sleep problems and other diverse symptoms that have not been definitively explained. Gulf War health questions have resulted in substantial controversy over potentially hazardous exposures during the deployment, the possibility of adverse affects from preventive health measures, and the role of stress in causing chronic illness.
Deployments present unique and difficult challenges.
Through many years of research and progress in military medicine, tremendous strides have been made in the medical protection and care provided to soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. The medical consequences of the Gulf War made it clear, however, that some threats remain poorly understood and inadequately addressed. These unexplained illnesses have proved to be frustrating to diagnose and treat. Although further research is in progress, much information on veterans' health already has been provided by an extensive research effort. Systematic clinical examinations have not identified a unique syndrome or a characteristic organic abnormality among over 100,000 U.S., British, and Canadian Gulf War veterans.