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Gulf War Syndrome, 8 out of 11 victims tested have incredibly rare pituitary disease

SilverbladeTE

Senior Member
Messages
3,043
Location
Somewhere near Glasgow, Scotland
http://www.veteransnewsnow.com/2011/07/12/uk-researchers-link-rare-condition-to-gulf-war-veterans/

UK Researchers Link Rare Condition to Gulf War Veterans
2ShareNHS Trust links rare condition to Gulf War Veterans
A rare condition usually effecting 1 male a year in the UK has been found in over 70% of Gulf War Veterans (GWVs) tested by an NHS trust.

The test, praised by the National Gulf Veterans & Families Association (NGVFA), involved 11 ill GWVs suffering from significant health problems, including musculoskeletal pain, skin disorders, headaches, and memory loss; results confirmed eight to be suffering from Autoimmune Hypophysitis.

The Gulf War began on January 16 1991 in response to Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait. 53,000 British servicemen and women were engaged in the conflict.

To date, over 9,000 British veterans have suffered from a range of Gulf War-related problems, including Gulf War Syndrome (GWS).

The clinical paper conducted through East Yorkshire NHS Trust is the very first peer reviewed evidence of the very rare disease in GWVs. An explanation for the condition was linked back to a previous report in 2009 which found overloading of vaccinations to be a possible cause.

Five of the subjects showed significant improvements after being treated with hormonal replacement therapy. The case series concluded that an unusually high clustering of abnormal pituitary tests in GWVs with GWS may be related.

NGVFA trustee and Gulf veteran Shaun Rusling said: This landmark paper confirms that Ministers at the MoD failed to accept the advice by the Department of Health December 1990 not to use Whooping Cough vaccine to stimulate service personnels immune systems

This has led to the insidious onset of autoimmune disease in Gulf War Veterans, who were subjected to over vaccination and over stimulation of the immune system, not prescribed or licensed for this purpose

The paper provides proof that the treatment and testing of those suffering from Gulf War Syndrome has been completely inadequate. The MoD and Government has to begin treating GWVs before its too late

Media contacts: Shaun Rusling or Maria Rusling Tel. +011 0845 257 4853 or email info@ngvfa.org.uk

Notes to Editors

?Autoimmune hypophysitis or Lymphocytic hypophysitis is defined as below normal production of one or more hormones by the pituitary gland due to autoimmunity.
?Reference: Atkin, S (2011) Pituitary hypophysitis and Gulf War Syndrome: a case series and hypothesis.Clinical Endocrinolog, 75, 271-274. (Copy available by request from the NGVFA)
?Test subjects were treated by Prof Stephen Atkin Reader of Medicine Head of Endocrinology Hull and York Teaching Schools, Dr Ammar Wakil (corresponding author) and Thozhukat Sathyapalan at the Hull Royal Infirmary Department of Academic Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism, Hull York Medical School.

1) As I've said before, I , liek many with M.E. have very low testosterone (basiclaly zero in my case), because the pituitary gland no longer secretes a controlling horomone that regulates testosterone produciton from the testes and/or adrenals
My, isn't that a coincidence with Gulf War Syndrome?

2) As noted before, Uk medicla establishment seems ot have a secret moratorium banning follow up MRI/SPECT scans of ME patients
despite visible malformation of my pituitary gland etc, they have refused ot do follow up MRI/SPECT scans as were originally suggested (presumably becuase they got slapped down with the ban on such)

3) VACCINES linked to the Gulf War Syndrome victims, again

4) Think ME patients should get checked for this?
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
Thanks Silverblade - it is good to see research here for a change and for Gulf War Vets - like ME the condition sending the medical establishment into years of denial. ME neuroendocrine too so looks like some overlap. Am sure the scientists here will explain more. (My problems diagnosed adrenals and thyroid only - doesn't pituitary control though).
 
Messages
646

Media release seems to refer to this: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2265.2011.04025.x/references .It's a case series study so it may not say anything abour 'gulf war syndrome' in general - just that there are a number of veterans with a rare (very rare in men ?) pituitary condition which potentially produces the symptoms defining the 'case' illness presentations meaning that case = symptoms = case. It'll be interesting to see what the researchers have hypothesised.

IVI
 

Carrigon

Senior Member
Messages
808
Location
PA, USA
I think the vaccines played a role, but I also think it was aspartame poisoning. They were drinking aspartame drinks that were left out in the heat over there. Aspartame can and does damage the pituitary gland. And when you couple a systemic poison like aspartame with over vaccination, that's what you get, GWS or CFIDS/ME.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
This has led to the insidious onset of autoimmune disease in Gulf War Veterans, who were subjected to over vaccination and over stimulation of the immune system, not prescribed or licensed for this purpose
Very interesting.... maybe most of us have that same thing. Maybe for whatever reason we have over stimulated immune system which has caused pituitary problems? my hormones are so stuffed.

I wonder how they test for that problem?
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
I was just researching to find the answer to my question... here's what wikipedia says on Autoimmune Hypophysitis and diagnoses.

Diagnosis
Biopsy is the only means of accurate diagnosis as no autoantigen has been discovered.[6][7] Biopsy of the pituitary gland is not easily performed with safety as it sits under the brain.[2] However, a test does exist to detect antibodies to the pituitary without biopsy.[2] Tests for normal pituitary gland hormone production tend to be expensive and in some cases difficult to administer. In addition, certain hormone levels vary largely throughout the day and in response to metabolic factors making abnormal levels difficult to calibrate - further hampering diagnosis.[8]

and the Pathophysiology

The pituitary produces multiple hormones relating to various metabolic functions. Sufficiently low production of certain pituitary hormones can be fatal resulting in the failure of the thyroid or adrenal glands.

It is estimated that, typically, it takes from 12 to 40 years for autoimmune destruction to present symptoms.[2]

So next question is when will someone do a study on this and ME people?
 

Grape Funk

Senior Member
Messages
113
Location
USA
Silver--

The first thing my doctor said to me when i got my blood panel back was extremely low testosterone for my age(i'm a male). Is there anything you do for your low testosterone that helps?

Carrigon--

The first time in my life i have ever used aspartame on a regular/daily basis was when i contracted ME. I have always wondered if aspartame has had anything to do with the disease as i retrace the becoming of it all.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
Grape.. we are usually given testosterone for low testosterone. (Im female and was given a testosterone implant for my low testosterone.. males are usually given testosterone too). Unfortunately in ME, testosterone seems to give many of us females side effects thou the guys Ive heard having it (2 guys) seem to be helped by it.
........

Ive been trying to research that pituatory disease further and its got real confusing as Johns Hopkins says completely different things to what the wikipedia says. eg Johns Hopkins says its diagnosed by a MRI of pituatory gland etc

Johns Hopkins mentions far more common in females. http://autoimmune.pathology.jhmi.edu/diseases.cfm?systemID=3&diseaseID=65

The pituitary gland is a bean-shaped gland located at the base of the brain in the midline. It measures around 1cm. The anterior pituitary releases growth hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, ACTH - the adrenocorticotropic hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH). The posterior pituitary gland releases two hormones, oxytocin, and antidiuretic hormone.

Ive got low cortisol, low testosterone and also an abnormality with my FSH and LH.
 

SilverbladeTE

Senior Member
Messages
3,043
Location
Somewhere near Glasgow, Scotland
I get a Nebido testosterone injection once per 3 months, hurts like a son of a bitch afterwards :p (well when you sit on it accidentally as it's very swollen/brusied for day afterwards, lol, as the "base" for the injection is castor oil, very thick)

it stops the feeling of "having insides/blood/energy sucked out by a vacuum cleaner", you know? which is one of the most horrible aspects of this damn illness, so it's well worth it, plus some other issues. :D
"Fatigue" my ass, it's more like being vampirized by a f'ing Dyson hoover! :D
Doesn't stop the OTHER types of "fatigues" ME causes (several types up I notice, post exhertional, constant, and gross drop off in ability/constituion once excercise begins)


Aspartame was not around to cause all the cases of ME before 1980s, so that is NOT a possibility for those cases (aspartame was not much used in stuff before about 1985 or so iirc? USA's FDA approval date, and actual USE dates in products *world wide*, are two different things)
it may have an impact on some folks, as who knows, anything is possible *shrug*.
But I'd rather think that since the breakdown chemicals of aspartame include, iirc, methanol (wood alcohol), it would have bad effect on anyone with ME anway (but the amounts are incredibly tiny so you'd probably need to over indulge)

So it should most likely be on a "things ot avoid taking too much of" list. Hell I've seen idiots drink only soft drinks all day since I was a kid, sugar or aspartame, doing that much stuff simply cannot be good for ya, that's common sense! You can overdose even on coffee you know (caffeine), just have ot be an idiot or have issues to do that as it's plain silly.
In fact probably the issue is more ALL the combined crap we pump into our bodies doesn't help anyone, regardless of what illness they have:
vaccine preservatives/adjunctives and the massive immune system response to them anyway + pesticides in food + lead (not in petrol any more though) + mercury (mostly from amalgams) + various other heavy metals + PCBs and other complex nasty organic poisons + over exposure to radio/magnetic fields and the ilk and so on and so on
individually maybe not harmful but over all, especially to those who's immune system is out of whack...that's another question.
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
It was recently suggested to me by my M.E doctor that i could have mild Sheehans syndrome which is when the pituitary is partially knocked out by a post partum haemorrhage, the symptoms can take many years to develop, especially if mild. I had 2 PPH after the birth of my 1st and 3rd children. My M.E symptoms started 2 years after the birth of my first child, which also coincided with starting a midwifery degree where i was given lots of vaccinations all in one go.

I hope they do more research into this for the sake of the GWV's and their children and partners. Lets hope Wessley sees this as i understand he has turned his attention on the Gulf war Syndrome sufferers.
 

max

Senior Member
Messages
192
Wessely has been involved with GWS since the beginning - it is not surprising that GWS is surrounded in a quagmire of confusion and controversy with ex serviceman fighting for recognition.

It should not be forgotten that no records of individual immunisation details were recorded for the UK soldiers, as for the US army, all of their recorded data was destroyed when they left Iraq.

Ideal Wessely conditions - maximum 'fog'.

max
 

SilverbladeTE

Senior Member
Messages
3,043
Location
Somewhere near Glasgow, Scotland
Yeah, apparently according to Wessely, GWS allegedly started out because servicemen past stories of illness/problems between each other which span into a "disease"...yeah GWS is just a "rumour", you know, "somatization"
sigh...like a broken record, isn't he? :p
 

justinreilly

Senior Member
Messages
2,498
Location
NYC (& RI)
Wessely has been involved with GWS since the beginning - it is not surprising that GWS is surrounded in a quagmire of confusion and controversy with ex serviceman fighting for recognition.

It should not be forgotten that no records of individual immunisation details were recorded for the UK soldiers, as for the US army, all of their recorded data was destroyed when they left Iraq.

Ideal Wessely conditions - maximum 'fog'.

max

I agree. Wessely is doing all of this on purpose, not out of ignorance. The man is very smart and has been studying all these illnesses for decades.
 

justinreilly

Senior Member
Messages
2,498
Location
NYC (& RI)
I too had/have 'girly-man syndrome' (low testosterone:D). I got testosterone gel and another period took clomiphene which is normally a birth control pill or some other female medicine! My internist said it was better because it didn't surpress the natural production of testosterone. Of course, like with most hormones, there is what is officially the normal reference range which you can be in and still need testosterone.
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
Am I reading the original report correctly

Should it be antibodies to the hormones we should be checking for?
 

August59

Daughters High School Graduation
Messages
1,617
Location
Upstate SC, USA
My pituitary seems to be shot. Not giving much signal to testosterone production, orexin (hypocretin), Thyroid and Adrenals. I can't say mine was because of aspartame as I drank my fair share, but quit 4 or 5 years ago. No change what so ever for me. I have not had a vaccination in 35 years prior to becoming ill (not even a tetnus booster). But something has gotten my pituitary pretty much dyeing).

They even think my unilateral sensineural hearing loss that is sporadic is hormone related now! Who the hell knows and who the hell in our government cares??
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
My pituitary seems to be shot. Who the hell knows and who the hell in our government cares??

So is mine - and yes the same feeling here in the UK, they really dont. Daily life is like treading treacle.