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This is a study of children born to veterans from two Mississippi
National Guard units which had deployed to the Gulf War. In 1993 a Jackson
newspaper reported an apparent cluster of birth defects and other health
problems among children of unit members. The state and the CDC launched
this study in response to the media reports. 254 of the 282 veterans were
contacted. 55 children had been conceived and born to 52 veterans after
the deployment. Three different major birth defects and two different
minor birth defects were found. Using U.S. rates for birth defects, one
would expect to see one to four major birth defects and three to six minor
birth defects among this group of children. The types of defects seen
are not known to have any common links to genetic, chromosomal, or teratogenic
causes. Four cases of low birth weight would be expected and five occurred.
The average number of medical visits for respiratory infections and otitis
media did not appear to be excessive. Limitations of the study are its
small size, the lack of information about 28 unit members, and the uncertainties
of applying U.S. rates to this group of veterans. |
