Prevalence of Chronic Medical Conditions Among the 1990-1991 Gulf War Female Veterans

Abstract

Background: The care of the large number of women joining the U.S. military is receiving increased attention. Currently, 56% of all women veterans alive served during the 1990–1991 Gulf War (GW). Veterans of the GW have reported poorer health outcomes than their counterparts who did not deploy because of the potential health risks associated with military service during the GW, and the possible use of chemical and biologic warfare agents. Military service and deployment affect women differently than men, however gaps exist in the research of common chronic conditions among veterans due to the lack of gender-specific results from published studies. Purpose: The specific aims of this study were 1) to examine and compare the prevalence of chronic medical conditions (CMCs) among deployed GW female veterans and GW era female veterans that did not deploy; 2) to examine the prevalence of exposure to environmental toxicants among deployed GW female veterans and compare the prevalence of CMCs between exposed and unexposed females; and 3) to examine and compare the prevalence of CMCs among deployed male and deployed female veterans of the GW. Methods: Data from three longitudinal epidemiologic studies of the health of the 1990-1991 U.S. GW veterans were analyzed for this study. Cross tabs and logistic regression were done to calculate the prevalence and prevalence ratios (PRs) of seventeen self-reported CMCs among the study population. PRs were also used for assessing the relationship between self-reported exposure to environmental toxicants and the prevalence of CMCs among deployed female veterans. Results: The most prevalent CMCs reported by both deployed and non-deployed female veterans were headaches and high blood cholesterol. Compared to non-deployed females, significantly higher proportions of deployed females reported migraine headaches, osteoarthritis, and skin problems. In addition, the prevalence of headaches was almost three times higher for deployed female veterans, compared to deployed male veterans. Anthrax vaccine, oil well fires, pyridostigmine bromide, petroleum combustion products and chemical weapons were the toxicants with the highest proportions of reported exposure among deployed female veterans. Compared to unexposed females, significantly higher proportions of exposed females reported migraine headaches, headaches (other than migraines), high blood cholesterol, hypertension, acid reflux/GERD, irritable bowel syndrome, colon polyps, thyroid disease, osteoarthritis, tinnitus, asthma, chronic lung disease, and skin problems. Conclusions: Compared to their counterparts, higher prevalence of some CMCs were observed among deployed female veterans of the 1990–1991 GW, especially among those that reported toxicant exposures. This information about CMCs and exposures is useful for guiding medical assessments and policy development affecting this group of female veterans.