Birth Defects in Infants Born in 1998-2004 to Men and Women Serving in the US Military During the 1990-1991 Gulf War Era
Abstract
Concerns about reproductive health persist among US military members who served in the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Few studies to date have explored the more recent reproductive health experience of the aging Gulf War-era cohort. Methods Infants born between 1998 and 2004 to Gulf War-era veterans were identified using the Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Registry. Infants were classified as having a birth defect using ICD-9-CM coding. Among infants whose parent(s) deployed to the Gulf War, analyses incorporated available deployment-specific exposures. Multivariable logistic regression models defined the adjusted odds of any birth defect and eight specific defects. There were 178,766 infants identified; 3.4% of these infants were diagnosed with a birth defect. No associations were found between parental Gulf War deployment and any birth defects among these children. Further, none of the eight specific defects were significantly associated with deployment to the Gulf War. These analyses suggest that military members who deployed to the 1990-1991 Gulf War are not at higher risk for having infants with birth defects 7-14 years after deployment. Further, some specific parental exposures of concern from the Gulf War theatre were not associated with a long-term higher prevalence of birth defects in this population of infants.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 18, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA619406
Entities
People
- Anna T. Bukowinski
- Ava Marie S. Conlin
- Carter J. Sevick
- Connie Descisciolo
- Margaret A.K. Ryan
- Tyler Clain Smith
Organizations
- Naval Health Research Center