Comparison of the Post-Deployment Hospitalization Experience of US Military Personnel Following Service in the 1991 Gulf War, Southwest Asia After the Gulf War, and Bosnia

摘要

Much attention has been given to the impact of deployment upon the health of veterans from the first Gulf War. While differences in self-reported symptoms have been common, no specific exposures have been implicated. Some have suggested that stress from deployment is the chief cause for multi-symptom conditions among 1991 Gulf War veterans. We sought to examine the impact of large military deployments upon hospitalization experience. Hospitalization records from October 1,1988, through December 31,2000, were examined for all active-duty personnel deployed exclusively to the Gulf War, Southwest Asia, or Bosnia. Cox's hazard modeling was used to model time until first post deployment hospitalization, separation from active duty, or December 31, 2000, whichever occurred first, while controlling for influential covariates and temporal changes. In comparison with Gulf War veterans (n = 455,465), personnel deployed to Southwest Asia after the Gulf War (n = 249,047) were at a slight increased risk of hospitalization (hazard ratio = 1.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.02,1.08). However, personnel deployed to Bosnia (n = 44,341) were at decreased risk for any cause hospitalization (HR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.72). While these findings do not fully explain the complexity of post deployment health experiences, they do not support the theory of a unique illness in 1991 Gulf War veterans.