After the 1991 Gulf War, many veterans came home reporting a variety of medically unexplained symptoms that were initially called Gulf War Syndrome, but has come to be known today as Gulf War illness (GWI) or Chronic Multisymptom Illness (CMI). To this day, there is no widely agreed upon cause, though it is suspected to be linked to deployment-related chemical exposures such as pesticides, chemical warfare agents, and anti-nerve pretreatment used to protect troops. GWI symptoms are characterized by fatigue, pain, and cognitive dysfunction, and there has been suggestive evidence that deployed GW veterans may be at increased risk for mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
Although anosmia – full or partial loss of the sense of smell – is not one of the more common symptoms of GWI, it is noteworthy that many veterans describe losing their sense of smell in anecdotal reports….
