Ongoing Scientific Review and Surveillance: Taking Advantage of Untapped Sources of Data Related to Veterans’ Health
Ongoing scientific review is critical to understanding the environment that impacts health. There are Veterans’ health-related data available from sources other than studies conducted by VA. Having access to and understanding these data sources is important in comprehending the complex array of adverse health effects associated with deployment. VA has developed and maintained active participation in ongoing longitudinal reviews and surveillance projects including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics’ National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the Department of Defense Millennium Cohort Study, and the VA National Study for a New Generation of U.S. Veterans. These programs help VA identify Gulf War Veteran health trends through focused comparisons with broader populations. VA has also engaged in more focused surveillance and epidemiologic learning regarding Gulf War through the additional study of Neurological Disease, a 30,000 Veteran study of 1990-1991 Gulf War Veterans, and ongoing Depleted Uranium and Toxic Embedded Fragment Surveillance Center and Registry work. Much of this work is longitudinal in nature (some continuing out into 2022), but results and findings from some are expected to be published in peer reviewed publications in the coming year.
Please provide your comments, questions, and suggestion on how we may improve the Ongoing Scientific Review and Surveillance section of the report.
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Angel Warrior 07 commented
All Gulf War Exposure information needs to be included in longitudinal reviews/studies. There needs to be stats for cancer for all types of cancers and track whether they have lived, are living, died, and at what ages the cancer happened. This needs to be available to everyone. A Peer Reviewed Publication is coming out in the coming year - Vets must be notified by email or mail so we can keep up on it. What are your plans to have this done? Doctors at the VA usually know nothing of this. I learn more by spending my own money attending the RAC meetings than any other way. Otherwise, it seems like GWI doesn't exist. Is there going to be any conferences around the country for GWI Vets to attend to learn about all the research that has been done? It would be nice to educate the ill GW Vets to help them understand what is happening to themselves.
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Angel Warrior 07 commented
The first longitudinal study that Dr. Kang put out in the 1990's has been continued and is about to come out again but they left out many important issues. The RAC needs to look at this and it needs to be corrected before it is sent back out to us. If you leave out important questions and subjects then how useful is it after all? If it stays like it was a few months ago GWI information is being misdirected to go in the direction as you want it to and will therefore, not be totally accurate and beneficial for getting the real end result we need!!!
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Shaun Orris commented
Don't forget OEF and nondeployed who are sick.
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Anonymous commented
You are so right Mr.Shaun,Dam right we're not F***k** Guinea Pigs,The Vet's from mid 70's thur 90's Specially Desert Storm ;I'm one,Since we need help @ the only Medical Center the Govertment has provide us,They do give us, yes we have a choice,Or live we pain!Those med's @ VA may have low dose but slowly,They (Govt) firgured out, We'll DIE soon,Knowing No, need to comensate,the years the Veteran has been awaiting for! >sgt Z <
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Denise Nichols commented
How can vets trust the VA when you killed Dr Haley's VA collaborative center in Dallas...he was getting answers you didnt like! Such a landmark to have had a VA Collaborative center UTSWM with DR Haley and instead of working out what ever technical problems and keeping the main goal to get the best for gulf war vets you let the bad boys loose! How do we ever trust you all again>>>>> And VA research is not focused on diagnostic the best available, biomarkers, and real treatment. No involvement of gulf war veterans as peer review process all hidden behind closed doors and announced from the laand of OZ. Take a lesson from CDMRP GWIRP or just let them have the funds we would get more than what you all have produced in 20 yrs and have worlwide expert scientist involved......after all VA didnt lead in HIV discovery or treatment......you do good at prosthetic
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Anonymous commented
I am sure I am a statistic of sorts in these studies to a certain extent. I live on the rural lands of an Indian Reservation and the people doing the study, I believe, were from Univ. of Texas or some other academic institution, Florida??. I received mail correspondence regarding any part of the study and the last one I received was concerning giving blood. To them, I resided conveniently close to a place they networked with to take my blood. I talked to them about being over 300 miles from their nearest site that was taking blood, i.e. southern CA. I received a couple of calls trying to relate this to them, but it never happened--they never called back & never gave blood.So much for randomness & preparedness on aspects of this statistical study.
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Shaun Orris commented
No more studies ... we are not professional guinea pigs. A cure please.
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Dedicated Soldier commented
All the studies and yet no committed attempts at full compensation - am on my fourth denial of benefits, including the "help" of my VSO..
I would like a vertical study on compensation denials since the late 70's. Why not throw in discharges since that time period based on personality disorders? Maybe then we could get honest about immune dysregulation and how vaccine experiments drive these statistics? What about the vets from '77 thru the 80's with neuro impairment? Or do we just throw these troops out because it didn't happen during the course of a formal campaign?
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George commented
The VA needs to include "animal studies" in the gulf war research that the IOM does, like the laws says. Limiting the IOM to only look at animal studies leaves out most of the chemical effect research, doing a grave injustice to the Gulf War vets.
The VA used animal studies in the agent orange studies. Congress told the VA to use animal studies in the congressionaly mandated studies, but the VA does what it wants.
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janet commented
I have a veterinary book that says not to give animals chloroquine and pyridostigmine, yet they gave it to us. Fortunately, most of the pink tablets ended up in the tent gutters. I only took 1 week of pyridostigmine. Stupid, never should have listened. Get real, as a nurse and former employee at the Poison Center, I had a med student explain fully about nerve agent treatment, glad I did. I knew the Army lied, I remove makeup with a larger 1" square pad then what they gave us. So, it makes me think there is no threat. just another made up story. Just live out west and you can get all the Depleted Uranium, contaminated water, food, canteloupe and all other nuclear waste you want to inhale, ingest, or live with on a daily basis. Colorado is a nuclear waste dump. We even have a local gender bender with talent, his name is Nuclea Waste, likes to roller skate in a pink tutu, but has more status now. He was right , all along. I'd like to see some data on the Kamisiahya incidents, too. I have epigenetic Cystic Fibrosis and lousy MDs that are now fired from Univ of Colorado as is the VA doctor who made sure I was exposed to Gadolinium toxic metal chelated poison "dye" for MRI scans. I have lowered renal function, he knew it. Now I know it and I hope he gets fired. Loser and a liar. Nuts, so is his nutty psychiatrist wife., too. Weirdo.