Studies of the relationship of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to physical symptoms in war veterans consistently show a positive relationship. However, traumatic experiences causing PTSD may correlate with other war exposures and medical illnesses potentially accounting for those symptoms. The authors analyzed data obtained from 21,244 Gulf War veterans seeking care for war-related health concerns to assess the relationship of PTSD to physical symptoms independent of environmental exposure reports and medical illness. At assessment, Ss provided demographic information and checklists of 15 common physical symptoms and 20 wartime environmental exposures. Results indicate that veterans diagnosed with PTSD endorsed an average of 6.7 physical symptoms, those with a non-PTSD psychological condition endorsed 5.3, those with medical illness endorsed 4.3, and a group diagnosed as "healthy" endorsed 1.2. For every symptom, the proportion of Ss reporting the symptom was highest in those with PTSD, second highest in those with any psychological condition, third highest in those with any medical illness, and lowest in those labeled as healthy. Results suggest that PTSD diminishes the general health perceptions of care-seeking Gulf-War veterans.