Health of US veterans of 1991 Gulf War: A follow-up survey in 10 years

Han K. Kang, Bo Li, Clare M. Mahan, Seth A. Eisen, Charles C. Engel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

131 Scopus citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess periodically the health status of a cohort of 1991 Gulf War veterans by comparing various health outcomes with those of their military peers who were not deployed to the Gulf. METHODS: We conducted a follow-up health survey to collect health information among population-based samples of 30,000 veterans (15,000 Gulf War veterans and 15,000 Gulf Era veterans) using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Gulf veterans reported significantly higher rates of unexplained multi-symptom illness, chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness, posttraumatic stress disorder, functional impairment, health care utilization, a majority of selected physical conditions and all mental disorders queried during the survey than did Gulf Era veteran controls. CONCLUSIONS: Fourteen years after deployment, 1991 Gulf War veterans continue to report a higher prevalence of many adverse health outcomes, compared with Gulf Era veterans.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)401-410
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of occupational and environmental medicine
Volume51
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2009

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