American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published online on November 17, 2005
American Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/aje/kwj008
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1 Medical and Research Services, St. Louis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, St. Louis, MO; Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Prior research has demonstrated that shortly after the 1991 Gulf War (Gulf War I), chronic multisymptom illness (CMI) was more common among deployed veterans than among nondeployed veterans. The aims of the current study were to determine the prevalence of CMI among deployed and nondeployed veterans 10 years after Gulf War I, compare the distribution of comorbid conditions, and identify prewar factors associated with CMI. Cross-sectional data collected from 1,061 deployed veterans and 1,128 nondeployed veterans examined between 1999 and 2001 were analyzed. CMI prevalence was 28.9% among deployed veterans and 15.8% among nondeployed veterans (odds ratio = 2.16, 95% confidence interval: 1.61, 2.90). Deployed and nondeployed veterans with CMI had similarly poorer quality-of-life measures and higher prevalences of symptom-based medical conditions, metabolic syndrome, and psychiatric disorders. Diagnoses of prewar anxiety disorders (not related to post-traumatic stress disorder) and depression were associated with CMI among both deployed and nondeployed veterans. Nicotine dependence and veteran-reported physician-diagnosed infectious mononucleosis were associated with CMI among deployed veterans, and migraine headaches and gastritis were associated with CMI among nondeployed veterans. CMI continues to be substantially more prevalent among deployed veterans than among nondeployed veterans 10 years after Gulf War I, but it manifests similarly in both groups. It is likely to be a common, persistent problem among veterans returning from the current Gulf War.
Received March 15, 2005
Accepted June 30, 2005
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Chronic Multisymptom Illness Complex in Gulf War I Veterans 10 Years Later
Melvin S. Blanchard 1 *,
Seth A. Eisen 1,
Renee Alpern 2,
Joel Karlinsky 3,
Rosemary Toomey 4,
Domenic J. Reda 2,
Frances M. Murphy 5,
Leila W. Jackson 6,
and
Han K. Kang 7
2 Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hines, IL
3 VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA; Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, West Roxbury, MA
4 VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA; Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics, Schools of Public Health and Medicine, Harvard University, Boston, MA
5 Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office, Washington, DC; Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
6 Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
7 Environmental Epidemiology Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC; School of Public Health and Health Services, George Washington University, Washington, DC
Melvin S. Blanchard, E-mail: melvin.blanchard{at}med.va.gov
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M. Blanchard THE FIRST AUTHOR REPLIES Am. J. Epidemiol., October 1, 2006; 164(7): 709 - 710. [Full Text] [PDF]
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S. C. Hunt, M. Jakupcak, M. McFall, M. Orsborn, B. Felker, S. Larson, and M. Klevens RE: "CHRONIC MULTISYMPTOM ILLNESS COMPLEX IN GULF WAR I VETERANS 10 YEARS LATER" Am. J. Epidemiol., October 1, 2006; 164(7): 708 - 709. [Full Text] [PDF]
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