Emotional trauma and fear most likely cause of 鈥楬avana Syndrome'
The cause of the mystery illness among US听and Canadian听diplomats in Havana is most likely听to be听emotional trauma and fear听according to a leading sociologist听and an expert in neurodegenerative diseases,听writing in the听Journal of the Royal Society of 51短视频.
Concussion-like symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, nausea and fatigue, were听initially听reported among听dozens of听US听embassy staff听between听late 2016听and June 2018.听They were described by the US State Department as 鈥榤edically confirmed symptoms鈥� and government physicians听suspected听the involvement of a sonic device. Studies on the embassy patients, however,听have been inconclusive and contradictory.听A similar array of symptoms听was听reported听in over听two听dozen听Canadian diplomats听during this same period.
The paper鈥檚听lead听author, Dr Robert Bartholomew, concludes听that听鈥楬avana Syndrome鈥� is more akin to shell shock, with the symptoms听paralleling听those associated听with war trauma. 鈥淎 characteristic feature of combat syndromes over the past century is the appearance of an array of neurological complaints from an overstimulated nervous system that are commonly misdiagnosed as concussions and brain damage鈥�, he writes.听He adds: 鈥淎 signature feature of shell shock was concussion-like symptoms. Like today, their appearance听initially听baffled physicians听until a more careful review of the data determined that what they were seeing was an epidemic of psychogenic illness. In fact, some of the descriptions from 100 years ago are virtually identical, right down to the use of the phrase 鈥榗oncussion-like symptoms鈥�.鈥澨�
Dr Bartholomew听is a medical sociologist based in听Auckland,听New Zealand.听 The report was co-authored by Dr Robert W.听Baloh,听Director of the Neurotology Laboratory at the UCLA Medical听Center.听The authors听describe the diplomats who became sick听as听participants in a continuation of the Cold War, living in a hostile foreign country where they were under constant surveillance. Between late 2016 and 2017,听staff in Havana were living in a cauldron of stress and uncertainty, amid rumours of an enigmatic sonic weapon.听
鈥淭he political and scientific evidence for the perpetration of an attack on US embassy staff in Cuba is inconclusive,鈥澨齮hey write. 鈥淲hat is the more likely, that听the diplomats were the target听of a mysterious new weapon for which there is no concrete evidence, or they were suffering from psychogenic symptoms generated by stress?听The evidence overwhelmingly points to the latter.鈥�
They听add: 鈥淭here have been four separate studies of听鈥楬avana听Syndrome鈥櫶齮o date. Each听have critical design flaws including听the use of听inappropriate controls, inflated conclusions, and a lack of evidence for exposure to an energy source or toxin.听None听adequately test the hypotheses they propose, while听promoting exotic explanations that are not听supported by the facts.听Our conclusions are grounded in听the prosaic and known science.听There is no need to resort to exotic explanations. Claims that the patients were suffering from brain and auditory damage听are not borne out by the data.鈥澨�
Notes to editors
Challenging the diagnosis of 鈥楬avana Syndrome鈥� as a novel clinical entity
(DOI: 10.1177/0141076819877553),听by听Robert E Bartholomew and Robert W听Baloh,听will be published by the Journal of the Royal Society of 51短视频 at 00:05 hrs (UK time) on听Friday 1 November听2019.听
The link for the full text version of the paper听when published听will be:听
For further information or a copy of the paper please contact:
Rosalind听Dewar
Media Office, Royal Society of 51短视频
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The听听(JRSM) is a leading voice in the UK and internationally for medicine and healthcare. Published continuously since 1809, JRSM features scholarly comment and clinical research. JRSM is editorially independent from the Royal Society of 51短视频, and its editor is Dr Kamran Abbasi.
JRSM is a journal of the Royal Society of 51短视频 and it is published by SAGE Publishing.听
Sara Miller McCune founded听SAGE Publishing听in 1965 to support the dissemination of usable knowledge and educate a global community. SAGE is a leading international provider of innovative, high-quality content publishing more than 1000 journals and over 800 new books each year, spanning a wide range of subject areas. A growing selection of library products includes archives, data, case studies and video. SAGE remains majority owned by our founder and after her lifetime will become owned by a charitable trust that secures the company鈥檚 continued independence. Principal offices are located in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC and Melbourne. www.sagepublishing.com