Quality of life and health-services utilization in a population-based sample of military personnel reporting multiple chemical sensitivities.
We sought to assess quality of life and health-services utilization variables in persons with symptoms suggestive of multiple chemical sensitivity/idiopathic environmental intolerance (MCS/IEI) among military personnel. We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey of a population-based sample of Persian Gulf War (PGW) veterans from Iowa and a comparison group of PGW-era military personnel. A complex sample survey design was used, selecting subjects from four domains: PGW active duly, PGW National Guard/Reserve, non-PGW active duty, and non-PGW National Guard/Reserve. Each domain was substratified by age, gender, race, rank, and military branch. The criteria for MCS/IEI were developed by expert consensus and from the medical literature. In the total sample, 169 subjects (4.6%) of the 3695 who participated (76% of those eligible) met our criteria for MCS/IEI. Persons who met the criteria for MCS/IEI more often reported the following than did other subjects: more than 12 days in bed due to disability, Veteran's Affairs disability status, Veteran's Affairs disability compensation, medical disability, and unemployment. MCS/IEI cases also had higher outpatient rates of physician visits, emergency department visits, and inpatient hospital stays. Subjects who met the criteria for MCS/IEI more often reported impaired functioning on each Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form subscale, compared with those who did not meet the criteria. We concluded that although the diagnosis of MCS/IEI remains controversial, the persons who met our criteria for the disorder are functionally impaired.
Black
D W
DW
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242-1000, USA.
Doebbeling
B N
BN
Voelker
M D
MD
Clarke
W R
WR
Woolson
R F
RF
Barrett
D H
DH
Schwartz
D A
DA
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018777:Multiple Chemical Sensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data