Gulf War Digestive Health Study

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2013-12-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The purposes of this study are to estimate the burden of disease due to chronic gastrointestinal illness in PG veterans, to evaluate whether Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth (SBBO) is associated with chronic diarrhea in PG veterans, and to determine whether eradication of SBBO reduces symptoms of chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating in PG veterans.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: US Department of Veterans Affairs; VA Office of Research and Development
• Treatments: Rifaximin

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men and women age 32-75 years

• Rome III criteria for diarrhea-predominant IBS

• Symptom onset after an apparent episode of acute gastroenteritis

• Symptoms of > 3 months duration

• Normal endoscopic appearance of the colonic mucosa

• Negative markers for celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease.

• Normal thyroid function and serum calcium levels.

• Must have served in the military or reserves during the time of Operation Desert Storm (August 1990 to May 1991)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Clinically significant cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic or renal dysfunction

• History of/or presence of systemic malignancy

• Current evidence of any gastrointestinal disorder such as celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (i.e. Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis)

• Current effects of drug or alcohol abuse

• Investigator perception of patients inability to comply with study protocol

• Unstable psychiatric disease

• Recent change in gastrointestinal medications

• Subjects with a positive pregnancy test

• Subject is currently participating in another research protocol that could interfere or influence the outcome measures of the present study