Vascular and Skeletal Muscle

Function in Gulf War Veterans

Illness Study
Scott Kinlay, MBBS, PhD
VA Boston Healthcare System

Gulf War: Muscle Symptoms

Focus of our study is the potential
causes of:
Muscle Fatigue
Chronic Muscle pain

Kinlay, S. VA Boston Healthcare System

Gulf War: Novel Exposures

Oil well fires
Immunization
anti-anthrax
botulinum toxin

Low level nerve gas

exposure
Pyridostigmine Bromide
(PB) pill
Excessive insecticide use
(esp DEET spray)
Kinlay, S. VA Boston Healthcare System

Vascular and Skeletal Muscle

Function in Gulf War Illness
Could exposure to various toxins cause:
Abnormalities in blood flow into muscle ?
Abnormalities in muscle metabolism ?

Could these explain what goes wrong in

muscle to explain muscle fatigue and pain?
Study Aim:
To compare Gulf War Veterans with Gulf War
Illness to those without Gulf War Illness
Kinlay, S. VA Boston Healthcare System

Vascular and Skeletal Muscle

Function in Gulf War Illness
The purpose of our study is to:
Assess whether blood flow into muscle, and
muscle function is abnormal in GWI
Establish possible causes of at least some of
the symptoms of GWI
Propose new treatments for GWI

Kinlay, S. VA Boston Healthcare System

Visit 1- Vascular Testing

2 Brief Lifestyle Questionnaires
Angiography Procedure
To examine blood flow into
the thigh muscle
Muscle Biopsy Extraction

Kinlay, S. VA Boston Healthcare System

Visit 2- Muscle and Exercise Testing

DXA Scan
Muscle Strength and Endurance Test
6 Minute Walk Test
CPET

Kinlay, S. VA Boston Healthcare System

Analysis of Data
Gulf War Veterans with and without GWI
Are there differences in blood flow into muscle?
Are there differences in muscle genes related to
muscle function?
Do these relate to muscle strength and
endurance and exposure to Gulf War toxins?
Can these differences establish potential causes
for fatigue and muscle related symptoms of
GWI?
Kinlay, S. VA Boston Healthcare System