Combined prevalence of self-reported symptoms in Gulf War deployed and Gulf War-era control populations
| Self-reported symptom | GWV frequency (%) (95% CI) | NGV frequency (%) (95% CI) |
| Lacking energy | 47.0 (37.0 to 57.2) | 27.2 (18.8 to 37.6) |
| Flatulence or burping | 44.6 (32.9 to 56.9) | 29.5 (17.1 to 45.9) |
| Unrefreshing sleep | 42.9 (33.1 to 53.4) | 21.8 (13.9 to 32.4) |
| Headaches | 42.6 (33.9 to 51.7) | 23.7 (16.0 to 33.6) |
| Fatigue | 40.8 (31.4 to 45.6) | 14.4 (9.0 to 22.2) |
| Sinus congestion | 40.4 (35.3 to 45.6) | 24.9 (20.4 to 30.0) |
| Memory problems | 39.6 (30.8 to 49.0) | 14.9 (9.3 to 22.9) |
| Difficulty sleeping, falling or staying asleep | 38.8 (33.4 to 44.4) | 20.3 (15.5 to 26.2) |
| Back pain | 36.0 (30.1 to 42.5) | 24.8 (18.1 to 33.0) |
| Forgetful | 34.8 (25.7 to 45.1) | 13.7 (7.5 to 23.7) |
| Joint pain | 34.7 (29.1 to 40.8) | 14.2 (11.1 to 18.0) |
| Difficulty concentrating | 33.3 (27.0 to 40.3) | 12.8 (9.0 to 17.9) |
| Joint stiffness | 31.2 (28.0 to 34.6) | 13.4 (9.7 to 18.2) |
| Irritability | 29.9 (21.3 to 40.3) | 9.2 (4.8 to 16.9) |
| Itching | 29.5 (17.9 to 44.5) | 15.1 (7.8 to 27.1) |
| Sleepiness | 29.3 (18.0 to 43.8) | 11.4 (5.0 to 23.6) |
| Sweating | 28.6 (16.9 to 44.0) | 17.3 (9.0 to 30.6) |
| Ringing in ears | 26.6 (21.1 to 32.9) | 14.8 (10.2 to 21.0) |
| Recurrent headaches | 25.4 (19.8 to 31.9) | 10.7 (6.3 to 17.5) |
| Rash | 24.5 (19.8 to 31.9) | 7.3 (5.0 to 10.6) |
| Feeling detached | 24.0 (18.6 to 30.4) | 6.6 (3.5 to 12.0) |
| Muscle aches/pain | 23.0 (14.9 to 33.8) | 9.5 (5.0 to 17.3) |
| Trouble finding words | 22.8 (15.9 to 31.7) | 8.5 (4.9 to 14.5) |
| Diarrhoea/loose stools | 21.1 (15.5 to 28.0) | 6.0 (4.0 to 8.8) |
| Sore throat | 20.4 (14.6 to 27.7) | 10.8 (6.9 to 16.4) |
| Weight gain | 20.3 (16.4 to 24.8) | 9.0 (7.5 to 10.8) |
| Dizziness | 19.5 (15.5 to 24.3) | 7.9 (5.6 to 11.0) |
| Coughing | 19.2 (14.1 to 25.7) | 9.1 (6.2 to 13.0) |
| Numbness and tingling in body parts | 18.8 (10.5 to 31.4) | 8.0 (3.9 to 15.8) |
| Abdominal pain and cramps | 18.7 (13.1 to 26.0) | 8.1 (5.1 to 12.4) |
| Wheezing | 17.5 (9.9 to 29.2) | 8.6 (4.4 to 16.1) |
| Irregular heartbeat | 17.2 (7.5 to 34.8) | 9.7 (3.8 to 22.7) |
| Feeling depressed | 17.1 (12.7 to 22.7) | 7.2 (4.1 to 12.4) |
| Loss of balance/coordination | 16.9 (10.9 to 25.3) | 7.3 (4.2 to 12.4) |
| Bleeding gums | 15.6 (5.5 to 37.2) | 4.5 (1.1 to 16.0) |
| Night sweats | 15.5 (10.8 to 21.7) | 4.2 (2.5 to 6.8) |
| Chest pain | 15.3 (7.6 to 28.1) | 6.4 (3.0 to 12.9) |
| Nausea | 15.1 (11.2 to 20.1) | 6.3 (3.7 to 10.3) |
| Shortness of breath | 14.9 (11.2 to 19.6) | 5.1 (3.2 to 7.9) |
| Muscle weakness/loss of strength | 14.7 (9.8 to 21.5) | 4.6 (2.7 to 7.5) |
| Loss of appetite | 14.7 (7.0 to 28.0) | 4.5 (2.1 to 9.4) |
| Chemical sensitivity | 14.2 (8.0 to 24.0) | 6.8 (3.3 to 13.2) |
| Nightmares | 12.2 (6.3 to 22.5) | 4.0 (1.5 to 10.1) |
| Rapid/racing heart beat | 12.2 (7.0 to 20.4) | 8.2 (7.0 to 9.5) |
| Hair loss | 11.4 (6.5 to 19.1) | 3.8 (1.6 to 8.5) |
| Loss of interest in sex | 11.3 (3.5 to 30.9) | 4.6 (1.1 to 17.3) |
| Feeling anxious/anxiety | 10.9 (5.8 to 19.6) | 3.4 (1.5 to 7.5) |
| Joint swelling | 10.8 (5.8 to 19.0) | 4.4 (1.9 to 9.9) |
| Constipation | 10.6 (7.6 to 14.5) | 4.6 (2.7 to 7.7) |
| Swollen glands | 10.2 (5.4 to 18.5) | 4.6 (2.1 to 10.1) |
| Fever | 8.8 (4.5 to 16.3) | 3.6 (1.7 to 7.6) |
| Vomiting | 6.9 (4.3 to 10.7) | 2.3 (0.7 to 7.4) |
| Asthma | 4.8 (3.2 to 7.1) | 3.4 (2.4 to 4.9) |
| Pain during intercourse | 2.6 (1.3 to 5.0) | 1.6 (1.1 to 2.3) |
GWV, Gulf War-deployed veterans; NGV, non-deployed Gulf War-era controls.