Rates of Chronic Medical Conditions in 1991 Gulf War Veterans Compared to the General Population.

Clara Zundel,Kimberly Sullivan,Steven Coughlin,Patricia Janulewicz Lloyd,Megan Yee,Maxine Krengel,Timothy Heeren,Claudia Grasso

doi:10.3390/ijerph16060949

Abstract

Prevalence of nine chronic medical conditions in the population-based Ft. Devens Cohort (FDC) of GW veterans were compared with the population-based 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cohort. Excess prevalence was calculated as the difference in prevalence estimates from the Ft. Devens and NHANES cohorts; and confidence intervals and p-values are based on the standard errors for the two prevalence estimates. FDC males were at increased risk for reporting seven chronic medical conditions compared with NHANES males. FDC females were at decreased risk for high blood pressure and increased risk for diabetes when compared with NHANES females. FDC veterans reporting war-related chemical weapons exposure showed higher risk of high blood pressure; diabetes; arthritis and chronic bronchitis while those reporting taking anti-nerve gas pills had increased risk of heart attack and diabetes. GW veterans are at higher risk of chronic conditions than the general population and these risks are associated with self-reported toxicant exposures.

Highlights

From August 1990 to June 1991, nearly 700,000 U.S troops were deployed to the Persian Gulf to serve in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm
Rates of chronic conditions such as arthritis and chronic bronchitis appear to be significantly higher in Ft. Devens Cohort (FDC) males in their 50s and stroke risk is five times higher in the 60s age range compared to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cohort
Gulf War (GW) veterans in the FDC cohort had significantly increased odds for reporting chronic conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attack, diabetes, stroke, arthritis and chronic bronchitis compared with the NHANES general population cohort

Summary

Introduction

From August 1990 to June 1991, nearly 700,000 U.S troops were deployed to the Persian Gulf to serve in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Veterans began reporting a variety of symptoms in multiple body systems that medical professionals could not diagnose This array of symptoms was termed “Gulf War Illness” (GWI) or “Chronic. A recent meta-analysis of health symptoms experienced by GW veterans conducted by our research team found that the most commonly reported concerns were fatigue, pain, cognitive and mood problems, skin rash, gastrointestinal and respiratory conditions [4]. This symptom complex was consistent with what was found in a Kansas cohort, which was used to determine one of the two most widely used case criteria [1]

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Discussion

Conclusion