Examining the current health of Gulf War veterans with the veterans affairs frailty index

IntroductionGulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic, multisymptom (e.g., fatigue, muscle/joint pain, memory and concentration difficulties) condition estimated to affect 25–32% of Gulf War (GW) veterans. Longitudinal studies suggest that few veterans with GWI have recovered over time and that deployed GW veterans may be at increased risks for age-related conditions.MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study to examine the current health status of 703 GW veterans who participated in research studies at the San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS) between 2002 and 2018. We used the Veterans Affairs Frailty Index (VA-FI) as a proxy measure of current health and compared the VA-FIs of GW veterans to a group of randomly selected age- and sex-matched, non-GW veterans. We also examined GW veterans’ VA-FIs as a function of different GWI case definitions and in relationship to deployment-related experiences and exposures.ResultsCompared to matched, non-GW veterans, GW veterans had lower VA-FIs (0.10 ± 0.10 vs. 0.12 ± 0.11, p