Veterans of the 1991 Gulf War have had an increased risk of injury, mental health diagnoses, and multi-symptom condition diagnoses, but a unique Gulf War syndrome is unlikely to be identified, according to a review of 10 years of published research.

The review, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, was headed by Gregory C. Gray, M.D., University of Iowa professor of epidemiology.

"Since the 1991 Gulf War, an estimated $1 billion of health evaluations and research have been invested in understanding illnesses among Gulf War veterans," Gray said. "We reviewed studies involving health care utilization to summarize what has been learned from these efforts."

The cluster of symptoms that Gulf War veterans report overlap with those of various multi-symptom conditions, as well as with conditions that veterans from previous conflicts have experienced, Gray said.

"Additionally, most researchers agree that, due to limitations in available Gulf War veteran data, a unique syndrome is unlikely to be identified with Gulf War service."

Many researchers use the term "multi-symptom condition" to describe a group of overlapping, rather non-specifically described conditions that are symptom-based, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic-fatigue syndrome.

Multi-symptom conditions are now the focus of significant research.