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Burning semen haunts Gulf War vets
December 31, 2002
BY JIM RITTER HEALTH REPORTER Advertisement
As the military prepares for a possible war with Iraq, researchers have identified a new malady among veterans of the first Gulf War: burning semen syndrome.
In these veterans, exposure to semen causes burning, pain and swelling at the tip of the penis and in the ******* areas of their partners.
In some couples, the pain is so severe "they just don't want to have sex, or as much sex as they used to have," said Dr. Leonard Bernstein of the University of Cincinnati medical school, co-author of a study funded by the Army and published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The condition also can cause severe allergic reactions in some female partners, including hives, wheezing, dizziness and unconsciousness.
Researchers said the condition is rare, but did not estimate how many veterans might have it. Nor do researchers know the cause.
Bernstein speculated veterans may have been exposed to chemicals that changed the proteins in their semen. He notes that some partners developed antibodies to the semen. This finding provides objective evidence the condition is not just in the veterans' heads, he said.
Veterans of the 1991 Gulf War have suffered health problems including chronic fatigue, diarrhea, migraines, dizziness, memory problems and loss of balance. While some researchers blame exposure to toxic substances, most scientists have blamed stress.
Researchers used a Web site and doctors with the Veterans Administration to recruit veterans who believed they had burning semen syndrome. Of the 211 respondents, 89 percent had experienced burning after contact with their own semen or had a partner who experienced burning. Only 7 percent said they had experienced the symptoms before the Gulf War. Forty-two percent had sought medical treatment for the condition.
Burning semen syndrome is similar to a condition called seminal plasma hypersensitivity, which affects a small percentage of the general female population. However, seminal plasma hypersensitivity causes burning only in women, and can almost always be prevented by wearing condoms.
Burning semen syndrome affects men and women, and condoms work in fewer than half of the couples.
Dr. Michael Kilpatrick of the U.S. Defense Department's Deployment Health Support called the study "excellent professional research." He noted, however, that of the 697,000 Gulf War veterans, researchers could identify only 211 who might have the condition.
The rate among veterans "does not appear to be higher than the rate in the normal population, although we do not have statistics to prove this," Kilpatrick said.
Bernstein said a treatment similar to allergy shots might cure burning semen syndrome in some women. The shots gradually expose the woman to proteins from the man's semen until she is able to tolerate his semen without adverse affects.
Reports of burning semen syndrome have been circulating among veterans for several years, said Steve Robinson of the Gulf War Resource Center.
"It's very debilitating," Robinson said. "It pretty much ends any intimacy you can have with your spouse
December 31, 2002
BY JIM RITTER HEALTH REPORTER Advertisement
As the military prepares for a possible war with Iraq, researchers have identified a new malady among veterans of the first Gulf War: burning semen syndrome.
In these veterans, exposure to semen causes burning, pain and swelling at the tip of the penis and in the ******* areas of their partners.
In some couples, the pain is so severe "they just don't want to have sex, or as much sex as they used to have," said Dr. Leonard Bernstein of the University of Cincinnati medical school, co-author of a study funded by the Army and published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The condition also can cause severe allergic reactions in some female partners, including hives, wheezing, dizziness and unconsciousness.
Researchers said the condition is rare, but did not estimate how many veterans might have it. Nor do researchers know the cause.
Bernstein speculated veterans may have been exposed to chemicals that changed the proteins in their semen. He notes that some partners developed antibodies to the semen. This finding provides objective evidence the condition is not just in the veterans' heads, he said.
Veterans of the 1991 Gulf War have suffered health problems including chronic fatigue, diarrhea, migraines, dizziness, memory problems and loss of balance. While some researchers blame exposure to toxic substances, most scientists have blamed stress.
Researchers used a Web site and doctors with the Veterans Administration to recruit veterans who believed they had burning semen syndrome. Of the 211 respondents, 89 percent had experienced burning after contact with their own semen or had a partner who experienced burning. Only 7 percent said they had experienced the symptoms before the Gulf War. Forty-two percent had sought medical treatment for the condition.
Burning semen syndrome is similar to a condition called seminal plasma hypersensitivity, which affects a small percentage of the general female population. However, seminal plasma hypersensitivity causes burning only in women, and can almost always be prevented by wearing condoms.
Burning semen syndrome affects men and women, and condoms work in fewer than half of the couples.
Dr. Michael Kilpatrick of the U.S. Defense Department's Deployment Health Support called the study "excellent professional research." He noted, however, that of the 697,000 Gulf War veterans, researchers could identify only 211 who might have the condition.
The rate among veterans "does not appear to be higher than the rate in the normal population, although we do not have statistics to prove this," Kilpatrick said.
Bernstein said a treatment similar to allergy shots might cure burning semen syndrome in some women. The shots gradually expose the woman to proteins from the man's semen until she is able to tolerate his semen without adverse affects.
Reports of burning semen syndrome have been circulating among veterans for several years, said Steve Robinson of the Gulf War Resource Center.
"It's very debilitating," Robinson said. "It pretty much ends any intimacy you can have with your spouse
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