Antibiotic Treatment of Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2001-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
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
Details
Lead Sponsor:
US Department of Veterans Affairs VA Office of Research and Development