Abstract
During their deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), many Veterans were exposed to a wide array of toxic substances and psychologic stressors, most notably airborne/environmental pollutants from open burn pits. Service members do not deploy whilst unhealthy, but often they return with a multitude of acute and chronic symptoms, some of which only begin to manifest years after their deployment. Our findings, while preliminary in nature, suggest that Iraq War Veterans who participated in our survey reported a decrease in overall physical fitness and increased respiratory clinical symptoms compared with pre-deployment periods. The objective of this report is to provide information that will benefit how combat Veterans are cared for post-deployment. Strategies for a wider and more comprehensive assessment and medical screening process post-deployment are recommended.
Highlights
Over two million United States service members have been deployed to Iraq since 2003 in the continuing support of “Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)” [1]
Among post-deployed Veterans, a polysomnogram is helpful to differentially diagnose sleep apnea from other sources of interrupted sleep such as chronic pain from war-related injuries, medications to treat premature comorbidities, and psychiatric conditions related to their military service
Analyses suggest that of Veterans who served in this support organization
Summary
Over two million United States service members have been deployed to Iraq since 2003 in the continuing support of “Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)” [1]. Increased rates of respiratory illnesses, debilitating physical ailments, and rare forms of diseases have been observed in troops after returning from tour duty in Iraq [2]. In many cases their symptoms resemble those seen in much older individuals, rather than the previously robust and physically fit recruits at the time of deployment. This is consistent with earlier reports of ‘military accelerated aging’ associated with Veterans exposed to toxicants during the Gulf War I conflict [3,4,5].
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