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All active duty GW veterans were compared with a random,
50% sample of active duty GW-era veterans (non-deployers) with respect
to hospitalization rates and causes of hospitalization for time periods
before the war and three time periods after the war, through September
1993. The rate of hospitalization for GW veterans was lower than other
veterans for the two years before the war, but rates were the same after
the war. The two groups had differing odds of hospitalization after the
war with respect to 16 time-specific ICD-9 diagnostic categories. For
GW veterans, the risk of hospitalization was greater in five areas: neoplasms
(largely benign) in 1991; diseases of the genitourinary system during
1991; diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs (mostly anemia) during
1992; and mental disorders during both 1992 and 1993. These increases
were inconsistent over time and were probably due to deferred medical
care, a post-war baby boom, chance, or mental conditions known to be associated
with war. Overall, during the two years after the war, there was no excess
of unexplained hospitalization among GW veterans who remained on active
duty. Strengths of the study are the large groups studied and the virtually
complete ascertainment of hospitalizations for active duty personnel.
Limitations are: the inability to focus in on what may be specific exposures
for disease causation; the fact that only personnel remaining on active
duty through September 1993 were studied; the inability to detect illness
occurring after a veteran’s separation from the military; and, the
inability to detect illnesses not requiring hospitalization. |
