CHICAGO - Findings from magnetic resonance spectroscopy have confirmed the existence of Gulf War syndrome, according to radiologists from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
In a blinded comparison, Dr. James Fleckenstein and radiology colleagues read studies of the brain stem and basal ganglia performed on 40 ill and healthy veterans. They found that the 22 ill veterans all had levels of the chemical N-Acetyl-Aspartate (NAA) that were 10% to 25% below the levels detected in the healthy veterans, suggesting a loss of neurons and a physical cause for their symptoms.
"For the sickest patients, this is clear evidence of a marked loss of brain cells," Fleckenstein said at a RSNA press conference Tuesday. "Until now, we haven't had a yardstick to measure this disease. The evidence that there is a Gulf War disease is overwhelming."
The ability to pick up on the levels of specific chemicals such as NAA is one of the advantages MRS has over MRI, the researchers noted. In some cases, patients whose MRS showed a loss of NAA were deemed normal by MRI.
"An MRI will show you that the architecture of the brain is OK. The reduction of NAA neurons shows us that this is a disease and not just a syndrome," said Dr. Robert Haley, associate professor of internal medicine and chief of epidemiology at UT Southwestern. Haley co-authored a 1997 study that determined the degrees of neurotoxicity in Gulf War vets.
Patients with Gulf War Syndrome 2, also known as confusion ataxia, have a difficult time maintaining their attention span and experience problems with memory, balance and coordination. According to Haley's 1997 study, Syndrome 2 is attributed to nerve gas exposure or an adverse reaction to anti-nerve gas drugs.
Currently, a treatment for the disease does not exist, Fleckenstein noted. Possible avenues of exploration include finding ways to replace the depleted neurons and restore normal brain function, he concluded.
By Shalmali PalAuntMinnie.com staff writer
December 1, 1999
