Patterns of Illness and Care Before Deployment to the Persian Gulf War
Abstract
Between 1990 and 1991, some 700,000 American military personnel were deployed to the Persian Gulf. Following the return of these troops home, many complained of ailments that could not be medically explained. Subsequently, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense created several registries to document and track illness associated with the PGW. The current study compares the pattern of health care seeking between registrants with multi- symptom illness and those considered well in the year prior to deployment. Cases were defined as those registrants assigned code diagnoses such as somatization disorder, myalgia and myositis unspecified, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, unexplained musculoskeletal and connective tissues problems, etc. Controls were defined as individuals with a code indicating "well" or "no complaint." Rates of those registrants with multi-symptom illness were compared to those defined as "well." Results were broken down by the type of registry (Persian Gulf Registry Old, Persian Gulf Registry New, and Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program) and the type of medical care visit (whether it was an elective visit or administrative visit). Odds rations and regression coefficients were calculated using logistic regression analyses, and adjusted for age, race, sex, marital status, and enlisted status. It is anticipated that the results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA423311
Entities
People
- Richard N. Miller
Organizations
- National Academy of Sciences