Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Aerobic Exercise for Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses

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Abstract
In 1990 and 1991, 700 000 US troops were deployed to the Persian Gulf in what became known as the Gulf War. Upon their return, many Gulf War veterans from both the US and other allied forces began to report chronic, unexplained fatigue, pain, cognitive, and other symptoms.1-3 The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) collectively refer to these symptoms as Gulf War veterans' illnesses (GWVI) because they do not represent a unique illness as implied by the commonly used term Gulf War syndrome. Many studies have sought to determine the etiology of these symptoms, but no single cause or pathogenic mechanism has been identified.4-7