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Glite Dictionary
Gulf War syndrome

Gulf War syndrome

2 7.8
A long-term illness affecting people who served in the 1991 Gulf War that causes tiredness, headaches, stomach and breathing problems
  • noun
  • /ɡʌlf wɔr ˈsɪnˌdroʊm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : síndrome de la Guerra del Golfo
  • Moret naming depleted uranium as the definitive cause of the 'Gulf War Syndrome' has fed a growing scandal about the continued use of uranium munitions by the US Military.
  • cause of Gulf War syndrome
  • suffering from Gulf War syndrome
  • Gulf War syndrome symptoms

Examples

  • The VA currently runs registries for Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome, and last year the Institute of Medicine said more research is needed.

    Blog text (11)

  • And the spread of new diseases… …a mysterious Gulf War syndrome struck veterans…

    WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception (2004)

  • And then, depending on the prevailing winds, the fallout'll be a tad worse than Gulf War Syndrome.

    Face/Off (1997)

  • See Gulf War Syndrome and Depleted Uranium, Dr. Rosalie Bertell.

    Blog text (11)

  • Many veterans attribute their chronic fatigue and pain to Gulf War syndrome after serving in the 1991 conflict.

  • The military provided medical assistance to those diagnosed with Gulf War syndrome to help manage their symptoms.

  • Research is ongoing to understand the causes and treatments for Gulf War syndrome, which affects many former soldiers.

Synonyms

Persian Gulf illness
vsGulf War syndrome
  • Specialized
8.2

A sickness that affected many people who served in the 1991 Gulf War, causing tiredness, headaches, and memory problems

is the other medical name referring to the identical condition

Surface Forms

Gulf War syndrome singular
Gulf War syndromes plural

Morphology

gulf + war + syndrome

The phrase is compositionally built from a named conflict ('Gulf War' = a war in the Gulf region) + 'syndrome' (a set of symptoms), so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer it denotes a medical condition associated with that war. This pattern (conflict/place name + syndrome) is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Gulf War syndrome comes from health problems that many soldiers had after the 1991 Gulf War. The word syndrome means a 'collection of symptoms', so the phrase links those shared health problems to the war and is used today to name the condition.