Abstract:
Approximately 150 U.S. Army reservists from Indiana reported symptoms consistent with chronic fatigue syndrome after returning stateside from the tour of duty in Saudi Arabia. A psychiatric team confirmed the diagnosis, evaluated possible etiology, and treated the service members when appropriate. Those available service members who met the study’s diagnostic criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome (n = 37) received an Epstein-Barr virus panel. Seventy-three percent of these selected service members were positive either for an acute or reactivated Epstein-Barr viral infection. These data suggest that service members who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome may have their symptoms increased and prolonged by secondary viral infections.
Source: Carver LA, Connallon PF, Flanigan SJ, Crossley-Miller MK. Epstein-Barr virus infection in Desert Storm reservists. Mil Med. 1994 Aug;159(8):580-2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7824153