Self-Reported Symptoms and Medical Conditions Among 11,868 Gulf War-Era Veterans: The Seabee Health Study
Abstract
Gulf War veterans have complained of postwar morbidity that they attribute to their military service. US Navy construction workers (Seabees) have been among the most symptomatic. Beginning in 1997, we sent Gulf War-era Seabees a postal survey to collect information regarding their past and present health. After serial mailings, 12,049 (68.5%) of 17,559 Seabees contacted returned the questionnaire. Compared with other Seabees, Gulf War Seabees self- reported poorer general health, more depression, a higher prevalence of all 33 symptom questions, and higher prevalence of physician-diagnosed four multi-symptom conditions: chronic fatigue syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder, multiple chemical sensitivity, and irritable bowel syndrome. They also reported more evidence of cognition problems via the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire. The four multi-symptom conditions were all highly associated with one another and this aggregated into a working case definition of Gulf War illness. Among the 3,831(22% cases) Gulf War Seabee participants this case definition was then examined for potential associations with various demographic characteristics and 34 deployment exposures. Female, reserve, enlisted personnel of non-Seabee occupations, and belonging to two Seabee units were most likely to meet the case definition. Twelve self-reported Gulf War exposures were mildly associated with meeting the Gulf War illness definition with exposure to fumes from munitions having the highest odds (OR = 1.91; 95% CI 1.5-2.4). While these do not implicate a specific etiological exposure, they do shed new light on morbidity among Gulf War Seabees.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA419088
Entities
People
- Gregory C. Gray
- Kevin S. Kaiser
- Robert John Reed
- Tyler Clain Smith
- Victor M. Gastanaga
Organizations
- Naval Health Research Center