A histopathological study of head and neck specimens from a cohort of Persian Gulf War military veterans.

Approximately 700,000 U.S. military personnel were deployed to the Persian Gulf region during the Gulf War. Since their return, many Persian Gulf War veterans (GWVs) have presented with various medical symptoms, including those related to the head and neck. A study devoted to the histopathology of head and neck specimens from GWVs has not been previously reported. Surgical, autopsy, and cytological specimens from GWVs were evaluated by light microscopy at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology with additional studies as required and were entered into the Kuwait Registry. The Kuwait Registry contained 361 head and neck specimens from 264 GWVs. Neoplasms were relatively infrequent, including six malignant neoplasms and 14 benign neoplasms. The most frequent diagnoses were chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and lymphoid hyperplasia of the tonsils. These conditions are frequently encountered in routine anatomic pathology practice in the general U.S. population.