Summary
Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses (GWVI) is a complex constellation of symptoms that have persisted in Gulf War Veterans (GWV) more than 25 years after their deployment to the Gulf. These symptoms are so diverse, they baffle diagnostic criteria. As a result, consideration of GWVI as a bona fide illness has progressed slowly from denial of its existence to the use of such terms as “unexplained illnesses” (used by the VA) and “multisymptom illness”. The Institute of Medicine Committee on Gulf War and Health (2016) concludes that GWVI is not a psychosomatic condition and sufficient evidence now exists
