Abstract
The study assessed peripheral sensory function and its relation to selfโreported wartime exposures to potentially neurotoxic substances in Gulf War veterans with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Male Gulf veterans fulfilling the 1994 CDC diagnostic criteria for CFS were compared with matched controls. Quantitative sensory testing was performed to establish thresholds of perception for the sense of light touch and radiant heat. The Devens survey was used to collect data on selfโreported exposures to byโproducts of combustion and organophosphate compounds. Gulf veterans with CFS had elevated tactile but normal thermal thresholds compared with their controls. Sick veterans had greater rates of selfโreported exposures and/or noxious side effects for all assessed toxicants. Interestingly, both Gulf veteran groups, including those reporting no symptoms, had impaired perception of light touch when compared with ageโmatched samples of nonโGulf war veteran men. The results of this study are consistent with a hypothesis that Gulf veterans with CFS have a subtle neurological deficit that might reflect underlying peripheral neuropathy. The association between this deficit and selfโreport of multiple potentially neurotoxic exposures suggests that war zone pollutants may be possible contributing factors. Copyright ยฉ 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.