Chronic fatigue and sexual dysfunction in female Gulf War veterans.
Author: Gilhooly PE, Ottenweller JE, Lange G, Tiersky L, Natelson BH.
Source:
Journal of sex & marital therapy, 27(5), 483-487.
Chronic fatigue (CF) is one of the most common conditions reported by Gulf War
veterans. This study evaluated female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in veterans with
or without complaints of CF. Subjects were screened for medical and psychiatric
causes of CF. They included 22 healthy subjects and 26 with fatiguing symptoms.
FSD was reported by 10% of controls and by 60% of the fatigued (p < .002) while
19% versus 81% (p < .001) noted decreased libido. FSD was more prevalent in
fatigued veterans than in the controls. This relationship was not mediated by an
Axis I diagnosis. This appears to be the first report of sexual dysfunction in
CF.