Antibiotic Treatment of Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2001-10-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

In 1990 and 1991, the U.S. deployed approximately 700,000 troops to the Persian Gulf to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. While there were few casualties associated with the Gulf War, many individuals returned from this conflict with unexplained symptoms and illnesses. This constellation of symptoms has been termed Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses (GWI). Although several explanations have been offered as to the cause of GWI, none of the putative etiologic agents or conditions is currently supported by sufficient evidence. One explanation that has received fairly widespread attention is systemic Mycoplasma fermentans infection. It is the purpose of this study to determine if antibiotic treatment directed against Mycoplasma species (i.e. doxycycline) will improve functioning and symptoms in deployed Gulf War veterans with GWI.

• Phase: Phase 3
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: US Department of Veterans Affairs; VA Office of Research and Development
• Collaborators: Pfizer; United States Department of Defense
• Treatments: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Doxycycline

Criteria

All veterans deployed to the Gulf War between August, 1990 and August, 1991 having at least two of the following symptoms: Fatigue, musculoskeletal pain or neurocognitive dysfunction. Mycoplasma positive