. 2019 Mar 16;16(6):949.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph16060949.

Rates of Chronic Medical Conditions in 1991 Gulf War Veterans Compared to the General Population

Clara G Zundel^{1

2}, Maxine H Krengel^{3

4}, Timothy Heeren⁵, Megan K Yee⁶, Claudia M Grasso⁷, Patricia A Janulewicz Lloyd⁸, Steven S Coughlin⁹, Kimberly Sullivan¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. cgzundel@bu.edu.
² Division of Graduate Medical Sciences, Behavioral Neuroscience, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. cgzundel@bu.edu.
³ Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. mhk@bu.edu.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. mhk@bu.edu.
⁵ Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. tch@bu.edu.
⁶ Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. meganyee@bu.edu.
⁷ Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. claudia.grasso@va.gov.
⁸ Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. paj@bu.edu.
⁹ Department of Population Health Sciences, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA 30912, USA. scoughlin@augusta.edu.
¹⁰ Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. tty@bu.edu.

PMID: 30884809
PMCID: PMC6466358
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16060949

Rates of Chronic Medical Conditions in 1991 Gulf War Veterans Compared to the General Population

Clara G Zundel et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019.

. 2019 Mar 16;16(6):949.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph16060949.

Authors

Clara G Zundel^{1

2}, Maxine H Krengel^{3

4}, Timothy Heeren⁵, Megan K Yee⁶, Claudia M Grasso⁷, Patricia A Janulewicz Lloyd⁸, Steven S Coughlin⁹, Kimberly Sullivan¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. cgzundel@bu.edu.
² Division of Graduate Medical Sciences, Behavioral Neuroscience, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. cgzundel@bu.edu.
³ Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. mhk@bu.edu.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. mhk@bu.edu.
⁵ Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. tch@bu.edu.
⁶ Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. meganyee@bu.edu.
⁷ Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. claudia.grasso@va.gov.
⁸ Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. paj@bu.edu.
⁹ Department of Population Health Sciences, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA 30912, USA. scoughlin@augusta.edu.
¹⁰ Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. tty@bu.edu.

PMID: 30884809
PMCID: PMC6466358
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16060949

Abstract

Prevalence of nine chronic medical conditions in the population-based Ft. Devens Cohort (FDC) of GW veterans were compared with the population-based 2013⁻2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cohort. Excess prevalence was calculated as the difference in prevalence estimates from the Ft. Devens and NHANES cohorts; and confidence intervals and p-values are based on the standard errors for the two prevalence estimates. FDC males were at increased risk for reporting seven chronic medical conditions compared with NHANES males. FDC females were at decreased risk for high blood pressure and increased risk for diabetes when compared with NHANES females. FDC veterans reporting war-related chemical weapons exposure showed higher risk of high blood pressure; diabetes; arthritis and chronic bronchitis while those reporting taking anti-nerve gas pills had increased risk of heart attack and diabetes. GW veterans are at higher risk of chronic conditions than the general population and these risks are associated with self-reported toxicant exposures.

Keywords: Fort Devens Cohort; Gulf War; Gulf War Illness; NHANES; chemical weapons; chronic conditions; pyridostigmine bromide; veterans.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office for this work.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Prevalence of medical conditions in male and female participants from FDC and NHANES cohorts in the restricted sample. (Error bars represent Standard Error).

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Rates of Chronic Medical Conditions in 1991 Gulf War Veterans Compared to the General Population

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Rates of Chronic Medical Conditions in 1991 Gulf War Veterans Compared to the General Population

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