All Having skimmed over contents over the past week, I can't see substantive difference between gulf war syndrome sufferers and being a pwME. I asked this due to its public policy and liability implications. Can anyone explain how gulf war syndrome is distinct from ME/CFS? I accept that there may be different cohorts who would have alternative diagnoses and that there is even more vaguary than our own diagnostic criteria, but I guess you see where I'm coming from... Thanks all, been a while
I don’t want to offend anyone if I’m wrong on this but I have not heard of very severely affected GWS patients, they seem to be more at the walking wounded level, so that would be one difference.
Very important if true. On the other hand, I'd also wonder whether there are any epidemiological papers that break down problems in prevalence measurements in veteran communities, given that they are habitually let down in society and fall off the grid. Such epidemiological evidence would be proof of nothing, except for adding a known unknown
At least axiomatically, ME and MCAS seem.to have a relationship, at the very minimum they have shared comorbidities in common methinks. I've never seen so many MCAS conversations before encountering ME tbh. Yes, at least some do get PEM according to the literature. NB I'd also imagine the Oxford school BPS Wessley types would be just as uninclined to account for PEM properly in GWS, as in the case of pwME. And even less in their/others' interests in the case of GWS perhaps.
They may have different brain chemistry: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171110084312.htm
Nancy Klimas is researching both GWS and ME/CFS and says they have distinct biomedical differences. I'm sorry I can't find more about this. Someone else will probably be able to link you to her talking about it.
I think it was Alain Moreau who compared some blood markers (microRNA?) in ME/CFS and GWS and found the pattern to be opposite, elevated in GWS and suppressed in ME/CFS. It may have been in this video but can't be sure and not able to rewatch right now, maybe somebody else here has better recall: https://mecfsconference.org.au/videos/alain-moreau/
Two links I have bookmarked: Exercise–induced changes in cerebrospinal fluid miRNAs in Gulf War Illness, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and sedentary control subjects: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-15383-9 Brain chemistry study shows chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War illness as unique disorders: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-11/gumc-bcs110817.php The 2nd link is commentary on the first one.
The symptoms do appear to have a lot of overlap. GWI seems to have some kind of PEM, for example, but it seems to be different to our PEM somehow. I read something once about the different phenotypes of GWI being due to injury in different parts of the brain (e.g., brain stem alone, brain stem with another area, etc). It may be that the difference is due to where in the brain the illness comes from.
It must be a great relief to sufferers from GWS that the original "research" establishing the psychosomatic cause of perpetuation of such symptoms was funded by the Army Chemical Corps.
Thank you - very helpful. I do wonder how the PEM differs qualitatively/subjectively, but now that is merely my curiosity rambling. Pointless curiosity now my real Q is answered by the thread
See this video. About 11:45 she talks about the differences. https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/discovery-forum-2017-dr-nancy-klimas.61154/
https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/do...war_legacy_of_suspicion.pdf?sfvrsn=d8308cc6_2 eta: one thing we have in common is a certain knight of the realm and his 'wisdom'
