Griffith University researchers believe cellular door dysfunction is the cause of long-misunderstood Gulf War Illness
For more than three decades, a mystery illness has plagued Gulf War veterans worldwide. It is estimated that up to one-third of them suffer from an array of symptoms commonly known as Gulf War Syndrome. The cause has baffled researchers, and many veterans have struggled to be believed. Now, Australian scientists have made a world-first breakthrough that could benefit veterans and people who suffer from other chronic illnesses, including long COVID.
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00:00A line has been drawn in the sand, US troops fully equipped to deal with Iraq's chemical
00:12warfare capability are pouring into Saudi Arabia, ready to meet any threat from across
00:16the border.
00:19It was 1991, images of battle lit up living rooms around the world, as the Gulf War became
00:26the first major conflict broadcast live.
00:32There was a buzz going through the ship that the training that we had done to prepare for
00:38us to go up there was now going to be put into action.
00:45All the people that served in those conflicts were extremely proud to serve our country
00:49and do their duty.
00:51Australians Troy O'Keefe and Ian Allwood were just teenagers, new recruits of the Royal
00:57Australian Navy.
01:00Kuwait is burning, more than 500 oil wells are now on fire.
01:07The conditions on land and at sea could be toxic.
01:10During the Gulf War I was an upper deck lookout or I manned the 50 cal machine guns, I remember
01:14being during the smoke, oil and dust fires at 10 o'clock in the morning it was being
01:18absolute darkness, my eyes were watering.
01:22Troy O'Keefe was also on deck scanning for mines released into the ocean.
01:27We were on six hours on, six hours off, six hours on, six hours off.
01:31More than 30 years later the broken sleep he endured at war persists, along with other
01:37symptoms.
01:38I get rash over my body, I get really bad headaches at times, just pounding headaches,
01:46I get very nervous.
01:48For years I coughed up like a mucus that tasted like smoke, oil and dust, it's still
01:53the yucky burning oil taste still comes out of my lungs.
01:58The term Gulf War Syndrome was quickly coined to cover a range of symptoms including fatigue,
02:05brain fog, muscle pain and gut issues, but uncertainty remained about a cause.
02:11Now a group of Australian scientists has made a breakthrough.
02:15Excitement hopefully will echo across the world.
02:20The ion channels or doorways into the cells of study participants with Gulf War Illness
02:26are faulty and don't open properly.
02:29That means not enough calcium can get in, impairing the function of every cell in the
02:34body.
02:35Those doorways act as threat receptors, in some veterans the receptors have been damaged.
02:42They've been exposed to for example burn pits, chemicals, also mandatory vaccinations
02:48and those interventions are threats.
02:52The published findings build on research into the same cell dysfunction found in people
02:57with long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome.
03:03It's hoped clinical trials into the use of a repurposed medication will improve lives.
03:10The option of different treatments.
03:12A diagnostic marker in this area for these kind of illnesses would be a substantial breakthrough
03:18and good luck to them, but there is definitely a lot of work to go.
03:23Australians stood side by side with American fighters in the conflict.
03:27While the US has recognised Gulf War Illness, authorities here haven't.
03:32Veterans hope these new findings will change that.
03:36The Department of Veterans Affairs says it's the Independent Repatriation Medical Authority
03:42that has responsibility for determining how diseases can be related to military service.
03:49We just want recognition so that we can get a treatment path for our people moving forward.
03:53It should be recognised.
03:56Troy O'Keefe's time as a young sailor is long gone.
04:00His life forever changed by his service.
04:03A group of scientists has helped explain why.