Rates of Chronic Medical Conditions in 1991 Gulf War Veterans Compared to the General Population
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.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Mar 16, 2019
- Source ID
- 10.3390/ijerph16060949
Entities
People
- Clara G Zundel
- Claudia Grasso
- Kimberly Sullivan
- Maxine H Krengel
- Megan Yee
- Patricia Janulewicz Lloyd
- Steven Coughlin
- Timothy Heeren
Organizations
- Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs